A drawn-out battle is shaping up over the proposed business competition law, with legislators already expressing fears it may go on so long that it will not be possible to pass the bill before the end of their term in 2012.
Business representatives are complaining that the bill - aimed at creating a level playing field for companies in Hong Kong - is too vague, while expressing concern about possible huge penalties.
They also continue to question the need for such a law in the first place.
The Legislative Council committee scrutinising the bill has scheduled 37 meetings and public hearings with an expected completion date in April 2012.
But if lawmakers fail to pass the bill before July 2012, the legislative process will have to be restarted from scratch in the new four-year term that starts in October that year.
Key among the concerns of businesses is a lack of details of how the law will be enforced.
