China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) voted Thursday (March 11) to adopt the Decision of the National People’s Congress on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Decision”), a move criticized by Britain and Taiwan against Beijing.
The “high-vote” Decision will change the electoral system for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and Legislative Council by reducing the number of democratically elected representatives and introducing a vetting mechanism for candidates. The Decision is another major move by Beijing against Hong Kong, following last June’s National Security Law, which may further suppress democracy and strengthen the central government’s control over Hong Kong.
British Foreign Secretary George Raab said the changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system would further undermine international confidence in China.
This is the latest move by Beijing to hollow out the space for democratic discussion and runs counter to China’s own commitments,” he said in a statement. It will only further undermine confidence and trust in China’s ability to meet its international responsibilities and legal obligations as a leading member of the international community.”
Nigel Adams, Minister of State for Asia at the British Foreign Office, also condemned the approach of China’s National People’s Congress. He said, “In Hong Kong, we are seeing concerted action from Beijing to stifle democracy and voices fighting for it.”
Taiwan also responded to the reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system, according to the Central News Agency. The spokesman for the Mainland Affairs Council, Qiu Chuizheng, said that the Chinese Communist Party is promoting “patriots ruling Hong Kong”, but in fact the Chinese Communist Party is ruling Hong Kong directly, which is also known as “party lovers ruling Hong Kong”.
Qiu also said that all parties concerned should stop brutally suppressing Hong Kong’s democracy and freedom, work to maintain a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong and fulfill their promises to the people of Hong Kong.
According to Taiwanese media New Head Shell, the Taiwan People’s Party criticized Beijing’s actions as further weakening Hong Kong’s autonomy. The party’s spokesman, Tsai Junwei, added that China’s insistence on squeezing the opposition from “internal conflicts” to “enemy conflicts” would only lead to a further loss of public support.
Thursday’s decision to improve the electoral system contains nine articles, which China says will ensure that those who love the country and love Hong Kong will rule Hong Kong, “which is conducive to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability”.
According to the decision, Hong Kong will introduce a mechanism to review the qualifications of candidates, and “establish a Committee on Candidature Examination for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to examine and confirm the qualifications of candidates for election to the Election Committee, candidates for the Chief Executive and candidates for the Legislative Council” to ensure that the qualifications of candidates comply with the Basic Law, the National Security Law and other the Basic Law, the National Security Law, and other laws.
The Decision also authorizes the Standing Committee of the NPC to amend Annex I to the Hong Kong Basic Law, “Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” and Annex II to the Hong Kong Basic Law, “Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and its Voting Procedures” in accordance with the Decision. Hong Kong should then, in accordance with Annex I, Annex II and the Decision, “amend the relevant local laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to organize and regulate the relevant electoral activities in accordance with law.” The specific amendments are expected to come out in a few months.
Hong Kong’s Legislative Council was previously composed of 70 members. The Decision expands the number of Legislative Council members in the HKSAR to 90 per term, to be elected through three separate methods: election by the Election Committee, functional constituency elections, and direct elections by geographical constituencies.
In addition, the Decision further changes the composition of the Election Committee of Hong Kong and expands its size. The Election Committee is responsible for the election of the Chief Executive-elect and some members of the Legislative Council, as well as the nomination of candidates for the Chief Executive and candidates for the Legislative Council.
The Election Committee previously consisted of 1,200 members, including 300 from the industrial, commercial and financial sectors, 300 from the professional sector, 300 from the labor, social services and religious sectors, and 300 from the political sector. According to the Decision, 300 members from the Fifth Sector will be added. The fifth sector consists of “Hong Kong deputies to the National People’s Congress, Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and representatives of Hong Kong members of relevant national organizations.
The BBC reported that these changes mean that the selection of the Chief Executive and a large number of legislators will be dominated by the government, and the people of Hong Kong will have less direct say; at the same Time, it will be difficult for the opposition in Hong Kong to create checks and balances in the Legislative Council, whose function will tend to support the government’s governance.
Mrs. Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, said that the Decision would enable the practice of “one country, two systems” to be carried out in a stable manner and would be conducive to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. She and the SAR Government’s governing team expressed their “firm support and sincere gratitude” for the Decision, and said they will fully cooperate with the relevant revision work to implement a new electoral system that meets the actual situation in Hong Kong.
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