In its latest move to tighten control over Hong Kong, China is pushing for a controversial "patriot" plan to reform the city's elections.
Beijing says the goal is to keep "unpatriotic" figures from positions of political power in Hong Kong.
But critics warn it would mean the end of democracy in Hong Kong, eradicating whatever opposition there is left.
What's the background?
Hong Kong used to be under British control, but was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" principle.
This was meant to protect certain freedoms for Hong Kong, which no other part of mainland China has: freedom of assembly and speech, an independent judiciary, and some democratic rights.
These freedoms are enshrined in Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, which was meant to last until 2047.
On 11 March, the "patriots governing Hong Kong" resolution was passed at the National People's Congress (NPC), paving the way for Beijing to amend annexes of the Basic Law.
Later that month, the resolution passed the NPC's Standing Committee and could be enacted in Hong Kong within weeks.
How will it work?
While some details of the plan remain unclear, Hong Kong media reports suggests several crucial changes:
- Candidates for Hong Kong's parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo) are to be nominated by the Election Committee, a powerful pro-Beijing body which until now only elected the city's most senior official, the Chief Executive
- Any prospective MP will be vetted by a separate screening committee, making it easy to bar anyone deemed critical of Beijing
- The influence of directly elected MPs will be diluted. Until now, seats were split between MPs elected directly and MPs representing special interests such as business, banking and trade. But now a third group of about 40 lawmakers will be created, who will be chosen by the Election Committee
- The number of directly elected MPs will fall from 35 to 20. Overall the number of LegCo seats goes up from 70 to 90
Why is it being enacted?
The move appears to be a continuation of China's plan to tighten control over Hong Kong, following recent developments.
Huge pro-democracy protests took place in 2019, some of which turned violent. Later that year, pro-democracy groups made huge gains in local district council elections.
Since then, Beijing has passed a controversial national security law, which effectively reduces Hong Kong's autonomy and made it easier to punish demonstrators. Dozens of people have since been arrested under this law.
In November 2020, several lawmakers were deemed threats to national security and dismissed - this led to the resignation of nearly all the city's pro-democracy lawmakers.
The developments underscore the rapid expansion of Beijing's influence in the territory, pushing for loyalty from all levels of power.
Critics, including the UK government, allege that China is now effectively undermining the "one country, two systems" principle with all these changes.
But Beijing says it is safeguarding its sovereignty, and rejects what it calls "foreign interference" in domestic affairs.
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March 30, 2021 at 12:17PM
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