Story highlights Beijing says only candidates approved by a nominating panel can run to lead Hong Kong

The city's current leader insists it's a step in the right direction

Hong Kong's pro-democracy Occupy Central movement says it's a move that stifles democracy

Protesters take to the streets in Hong Kong and vow more civil disobedience

It's a decision thousands of protesters feared.

China's powerful National People's Congress Standing Committee voted Sunday to change the way Hong Kong picks its chief executive, ruling that only candidates approved by a nominating committee will be allowed to run.

A top Chinese official made clear the candidates all must "love the country and love Hong Kong."

The city's current leader insists it's a step in the right direction.

"The majority of Hong Kong citizens, namely, the 5 million qualified voters of the selection of chief executive in 2017, will be able to cast their votes to select the chief executive," said Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Speaking at an event Monday to explain the NPC's decision, he added: "This is the first opportunity -- a very good opportunity -- for Hong Kong to have one man, one vote -- universal suffrage. This is something we should all feel proud of."

But that's not how Hong Kong's pro-democracy Occupy Central movement sees it. The group has vocally pushed for elections in which any candidate can run for chief executive. For weeks, protesters have taken to the streets.

In a statement on its website , the group slammed Beijing's decision as a move that stifles democracy and blocks people with different political views from running for office.

Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong August 31: Protesters denounce China's ruling – Hong Kong protesters denounce the Chinese government on August 31, 2014, after Beijing announced candidates for Hong Kong's next leader must be approved by a Beijing-backed committee. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong August 31: Protesters denounce China's ruling – Hong Kong protesters say the Chinese government's proposal breaks the promise of full universal suffrage for Hong Kong, as agreed upon in 1997 when the British handed Hong Kong back to China. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong August 31: Protesters denounce China's ruling – Police ready for demonstrations on August 31, 2014, following an announcement from Beijing that Hong Kong will not have fully open elections. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong August 17: Anti-Occupy Central march – Tens of thousands of people marched through Hong Kong on Sunday, August 17 in support of China and to protest Occupy Central, a pro-democracy movement that says it will plan to stage a civil disobedience sit-in unless the Chinese government allows the Hong Kong public to nominate and vote for its next leader. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong August 17: Anti-Occupy Central march – A group of pro-China protesters marches in downtown Hong Kong on August 17. Local media accused organizers of paying people to participate in the Anti-Occupy Central protest. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched during a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong on Tuesday, July 1, to express frustration over the influence of Beijing on the city. More than 500 people were arrested during a sit-in after the march. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Demonstrators staged a sit-in on Chater Road in Central district after the march. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Policemen began clearing out protesters from the sit-in after midnight. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Demonstrators lingered in Central district the night after the march. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Protesters hold props as they marched on a street during the annual pro-democracy protest. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Organizers said 510,000 demonstrators marched, while police counted 98,000 people. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – During the march, Joshua Wong, 17, the founder of pro-democracy student group Scholarism, announced he would stage an illegal sit-in on the night of July 1. "I may get arrested tonight. Will you all support me?" he yelled to the crowd. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – A river of protesters, wearing white T-shirts to show their support for democracy, flowed through Hong Kong's Causeway Bay. Police counted more than 98,000 participants. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Demonstrators walked through downtown Hong Kong. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Rain poured down upon protesters intermittently throughout the day. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – As rain begins to come down on the protesters, umbrellas fly open. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Policemen stood guard in front of a store in the Central district of Hong Kong during the rally. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Photos: Political protests in Hong Kong July 1: Rally draws mass crowds – Tens of thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong's Victoria Park before the march begins. Hide Caption 18 of 18

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"Genuine universal suffrage includes both the rights to elect and to be elected," the statement said. "The decision of the NPC Standing Committee has deprived people with different political views of the right to run for election and be elected by imposing unreasonable restrictions, thereby perpetuating 'handpicked politics.'"

Scores of people -- including pro-Beijing groups and pro-democracy supporters -- gathered at the city's AsiaWorld-Expo Monday where the city's decision-makers were meeting. Local media reported chaotic scenes at the conference center as pan-democrats attempted to disrupt an address by Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee.

Freedoms eroded

Under the "one country, two systems" policy, the 7 million residents of Hong Kong -- defined as a "Special Administrative Region" of China -- are afforded greater civil liberties than those in the mainland.

This reflects an agreement reached between China and the United Kingdom before the handover, which promised Hong Kong a "high degree of autonomy" for 50 years after its return.

But the decision to change the way Hong Kong picks its leader comes amid increasing fears that those freedoms are being eroded.

Currently, Hong Kong's leader is chosen by an election committee selected mostly by Beijing loyalists.

Beijing brushed aside demonstrators' demands for a fully open election in 2017, saying the decision to change the system is in line with Hong Kong's basic law. Protesters demands are self-serving, one top official said.

"Those people's so-called international standards are tailored for themselves," said Li Fei, deputy secretary general of the National People's Congress Standing Committee. "They are not the international standards, but their personal standards."

Civil disobedience

Throngs of pro-democracy protesters rallied in central Hong Kong on Sunday to condemn Beijing's decision and promised there would be more protests.

The threat of civil disobedience "is our bargaining power," Benny Tai, the organizer of Occupy Central, told CNN earlier this month. "They take us seriously, though they will never admit that."

Tens of thousands of demonstrators protesting Occupy Central marched in Hong Kong earlier this month. Local media swirled with reports of marchers getting paid or bused in to attend the pro-government march

The march's organizer said he took the accusations seriously and would investigate but maintained that no laws were broken.

'Paper tiger'

But a commentary published Monday by the state-controlled Global Times dismissed this opposition and suggested Hong Kong's political reforms had come to a "foregone conclusion."

"The radical opposition camp is doomed to be a paper tiger in front of Hong Kong's mainstream public opinion and the firm resolution of the central government," it said.

"These radicals could indeed incite a group of people to rally with them but they are facing a powerful will and a strong legal framework that Hong Kong must remain stable. They will definitely be called to account if they resort to illegal confrontation. And if they raise objections in a legal way, their efforts will end in vain."

Meanwhile, Fernando Chui Sai-on has been re-elected uncontested as Macau's chief executive. Like nearby Hong Kong, Macau is a "Special Administrative Region" of China, following its transition from Portuguese control in 1999.

The territory has itself faced calls for greater democracy, though its constitution makes no mention of universal suffrage. A recent unofficial poll on this question was shut down by police and several pro-democracy organizers were arrested for allegedly breaching privacy laws.