China accused of undermining Hong Kong’s democratic institutions
Hong Kong’s legislature approved the biggest overhaul of its political system in the quarter century since British rule, in a decisive step to assert Beijing’s authority over the autonomous city, Reuters reported.
The move was quickly denounced by the US, which accused China of undermining Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and said decreasing electoral representation of residents of the territory would not foster long-term stability.
The changes will reduce the proportion of seats in the legislature that are filled by direct elections from half to less than a quarter. A new body will vet candidates and bar those deemed insufficiently patriotic toward China from standing, Reuters reported.
“These 600-or-so pages of the legislation come down to just a few words: patriots ruling Hong Kong,” said Peter Shiu, a pro-Beijing lawmaker.
Most of the changes were announced by China in March, though Hong Kong authorities later contributed further details, such as redrawing constituency boundaries and criminalizing calls for ballots to be left blank.
The measures were passed with 40 votes in favor and two against, Reuters reported.
The pro-Beijing government has faced no opposition in the legislature since last year, when China disqualified some pro-democracy lawmakers and others resigned in protest.
Chinese authorities have said the electoral shake-up is aimed at getting rid of “loopholes and deficiencies” that threatened national security during anti-government unrest in 2019 and ensure only “patriots” run the city.
The legislature will increase in size to 90 seats from 70.
The number of seats filled by direct election will decrease to 20 from 35.
Forty seats will be filled by an election committee, which is also responsible for choosing the chief executive.
The new vetting committee empowered to disqualify candidates will work with national security authorities to ensure those standing are loyal to Beijing.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of continuing to undermine democratic institutions in Hong Kong and called on Beijing and Hong Kong authorities to release and drop charges against everyone charged under the national security law.
Blinken said altering the composition of the legislature “severely constrains people in Hong Kong from meaningfully participating in their own governance and having their voices heard.”
“Decreasing Hong Kong residents’ electoral representation will not foster long-term political and social stability for Hong Kong,” he added.
Elections for the election committee are set for Sept. 19, and for the legislature three months later. The committee will choose a chief executive on March 27, 2022.