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.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
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