HK electoral reform remains on track
Work proceeds as proposed amendments to law backed by millions of the city’s residents
Shrugging off the latest US sanctions over Hong Kong affairs, China’s senior lawmakers and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s political leaders are working on schedule to improve the SAR’s electoral system, with the plans receiving signed support from millions of the city’s residents.
The United States and politicians in the United Kingdom and other Western nations, meanwhile, are being urged to abide by international law and stop supporting activities for “Hong Kong independence” and undermining Chinese sovereignty.
China’s top legislature will deliberate on the draft amendments to improve the electoral system of the HKSAR on March 29-30 as nearly one third of Hong Kong residents have signed a petition supporting the amendments and dismissing US sanctions and false Western accusations.
The 13th National People’s Congress adopted a decision on March 11 to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system. The decision authorizes the NPC Standing Committee to amend Annex I and Annex II to the HKSAR’s Basic Law, which outline specific methods for the selection of the chief executive and for the formation of the Legislative Council, two major components of Hong Kong’s electoral system.
The size and composition of the city’s Election Committee and LegCo constituencies will undergo adjustments. The number of Election Committee members will rise from 1,200 to 1,500. The number of seats in the legislature will increase from 70 to 90.
Zang Tiewei, a spokesman for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, said the upcoming deliberation on the draft amendments promotes the SAR’s democratic development in keeping with its actual situation and ensures its long-term stability and prosperity as well as the country’s sovereignty and security.
The NPC on March 18 strongly condemned gross interference by the US in Hong Kong matters. In a statement, it stressed that as the highest organ of State power, the NPC has the unquestionable authority and constitutional duty to improve Hong Kong’s election system.
The US move is a gross interference in China’s internal affairs, and is extremely “overbearing and despicable,” said a spokesperson for the NPC Standing Committee.
The NPC will continue to provide legal protection for cracking down on separatist forces, and in implementing “patriots administering Hong Kong” and ensuring the HKSAR’s long-term prosperity and stability.
A day earlier, the US government announced sanctions against 24 officials from the Chinese mainland and the HKSAR, including 14 vicechairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee.
Following a China-US high-level strategic dialogue in Alaska, the Chinese delegation on March 19 stated that the US should stop meddling in China’s domestic affairs including Hong Kong.
The US should abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations, respect the decision of China’s NPC on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system, and stop supporting “Hong
Kong independence” forces, it said.
The Chinese also called on the US side to revoke illegal sanctions against Chinese officials and institutions, stop trying to mess up Hong Kong again, and cease forestalling China’s implementation of “one country, two systems.”
Top officials of the HKSAR, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung and Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, have dismissed new sanctions by the US and unjustified accusations by politicians from the US and some other countries.
Cheung refuted the “unfair” comments by some countries that are trying to demonize the city’s electoral reform. He said those countries are wrong in seeing Chinese mainland as a threat, as the mainland believes in peaceful development and collaboration, not confrontation.
Justice Secretary Cheng said that Washington’s repeated sanctions were not recognized by international law, as sanctions should be made by the
United Nations and not by individual countries.
Cheng, a veteran dispute resolution expert, pointed out that some of the foreign reactions have contravened the international principle of nonintervention, which is based on the principle of equality between different countries.
The “unfair and biased criticism” of Hong Kong’s National Security Law and the election-related proposals also completely ignored Hong Kong’s actual situation and historical background, she said.
The measures by the central government are necessary in light of Hong Kong’s repeated political and social upheavals since 2003, which exposed weaknesses in the local political system, Cheng said.
At a media briefing on March 23, Chief Executive Lam dismissed suggestions that the move of the country’s top legislature would damage rule of law in the SAR, as some speculated that the 14 overseas nonpermanent judges who serve on the Court of Final Appeal raised concerns over
planned improvements to the city’s electoral system and the enactment of the National Security Law for Hong Kong in June 2020.
Lam cited an article written by Jonathan Sumption, one of 14 nonpermanent judges on Hong Kong’s top court. In a letter to Britain’s The Times newspaper published earlier, Sumption has made clear that he would continue serving in Hong Kong, and urged the UK to “avoid undermining the independence of the judiciary in Hong Kong”.
Lam reiterated that Hong Kong courts exercise judicial power independently, without any interference from either the central government or the local administration.
More than 2.38 million of Hong Kong’s 7.55 million residents have signed an online and offline petition to endorse the improvement of the city’s electoral system.
Tam Yiu-chung, one of the organizers of the petition and a Hong Kong deputy to the Standing Committee of the NPC, said the 11-day signature campaign, which ended on March 21, involved the concerted efforts of 5,300 volunteers from more than 1,320 associations.
Tam said the public’s positive response demonstrates residents’ collective wish for a more stable and prosperous city with a better electoral system.
Chief Executive Lam said on March 23 that the Hong Kong government will introduce a bill on improving the electoral system to the Legislative Council as soon as possible.
There will be three important elections in the coming 12 months in Hong Kong — pertaining to the Election Committee, for the LegCo and for the Chief Executive. Therefore, the sooner the NPC Standing Committee amends Annexes I and II of the HKSAR Basic Law, the sooner the Hong Kong government will be able to submit amendments to the local ordinances.
The House Committee of the LegCo has established a subcommittee to handle issues relating to the improvement of the electoral system.
The electoral reform will bring about a “new vista” and “landscape” in the city’s legislature, with patriotism binding everyone together “with one heart, one mind, and one purpose”, said Chief Secretary Cheung.
“That’s really Hong Kong’s future,” Cheung told China Daily on March 22, as work began to improve the electoral system and to institute safeguards for the “patriots governing Hong Kong” principle.
The new landscape Cheung envisaged will see more effective governance, under which there will be a more harmonious environment, and greater room for constructive debate over policies concerning people’s livelihoods and the city’s development.
Cheung assured that the electoral reform will not shut the door on different views from the opposition. Instead, more voices will be heard, particularly those of the grassroots and ordinary people, he said.
All people who meet the minimum requirements — be patriotic, love Hong Kong, and abide by the law — will be eligible to run for elections, Cheung said.
Justice Secretary Cheng urged everyone in Hong Kong to call for a halt to the groundless talk in regard to the status of Hong Kong’s rule of law.
Some opposition groups and figures in Hong Kong, including several former lawmakers, have been lobbying certain Western countries to sanction the city or even China, claiming that the rule of law and the “one country, two systems” principle have been undermined.
This is why “there is really a need for improvements to be made to the electoral system”, to ensure those in power are really patriotic, Cheng said.
Relevant departments of the central authorities held a number of symposiums in Hong Kong to listen to opinions from a wide range of sectors on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.
Paul Chan Mo-po, Hong Kong’s financial secretary, said in a blog post on March 21 that the new stage of the country’s development is also a new situation for Hong Kong’s development, and that Hong Kong must seize the opportunity and fully participate in it.
He stressed that safeguarding national security is a prerequisite for the long-term and stable development of the country and the HKSAR.