Chinese lawmakers approved an extensive overhaul of how Hong Kong chooses its leaders, a momentous step in Beijing’s efforts to curb opposition in the territory’s political system.
The Chinese National People’s Congress yesterday passed almost unanimously a proposal to change the size and composition of the body that picks the territory’s chief executive, and have it nominate local legislators.
The congress also established a vetting committee to ensure that candidates in Hong Kong are “patriots,” effectively ending China’s only experiment with open elections.
Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong Baptist University associate professor Kenneth Chan (陳家洛) called it a “total purge of democratic figures” who had continued to play a prominent role in Hong Kong since the handover 24 years ago.
“This is the second handover, because the first one wasn’t very successful in Beijing’s eyes,” Chan said.
The passage of the “decision” was all but assured, even though it was only placed on the agenda a week ago and the full text was not published until after the vote.
About 2,895 lawmakers approved the revamp, with one abstention and none voting against.
Lawmakers in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People erupted in applause after the results were announced.
British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Dominic Raab said that the move would “further undermine confidence and trust in China living up to its international responsibilities.”
“This is the latest step by Beijing to hollow out the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong, contrary to the promises made by China itself,” Raab said in a statement.
The measure puts the force of law behind Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) call for “patriots” to run Hong Kong after a historic wave of pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee — a legislative body of about 175 members that meets every two months — is expected to flesh out the overhaul before handing down the final plan for Hong Kong to implement.
On Monday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) said that the revamp would require the Hong Kong Legislative Council to enact “more than 20 pieces of principle and subsidiary legislation,” which are to be pushed through without the usual public consultations.
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