Overhaul to bring ‘long-term benefits’
The central government’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong on Friday spelled out the necessity and importance of improving the electoral system in the city, saying such reform will benefit the city in the long term.
The remarks came after the National People’s Congress, the nation’s top legislature, started to deliberate a draft decision on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system, at the opening meeting of its annual session on Friday.
In the statement, the spokesperson of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said that some separatists and radical activists, instigated and backed by foreign anti-China forces, have entered the governance system by exploiting existing loopholes.
They have committed acts that seriously undermined the city’s constitutional order and the rule of law; jeopardized the nation’s sovereignty, national security and development interests; and struck a blow against the city’s stability and people’s well-being, the spokesperson added.
“The results have fully demonstrated that there are obvious loopholes and weaknesses in the city’s electoral system. Therefore, resolute measures must be taken to address the issue,” the spokesperson said.
Also in the statement, the spokesperson said the draft decision has received wide support from Hong Kong society, as residents agree that it is a key institutional arrangement to ensure that Hong Kong is governed by patriots.
The Hong Kong community has reached a consensus that the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong” is the essence of the “one country, two systems” principle, and the minimum requirement for Hong Kong to be administered by Hong Kong people, according to the statement.
Noting that this is the second year in a row that the NPC, the highest organ of State power, decided to deliberate on important issues related to Hong Kong, the spokesperson said the action fully demonstrates the central government’s firm resolve to ensure the steady and sustainable practice of the “one country, two systems” principle.
During last year’s session, the NPC passed a motion to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the
HKSAR, which paved the way for the enactment of the National Security Law for Hong Kong in June.
The spokesperson also said the central government will continue to solicit opinions from the Hong Kong community and the NPC delegates, and the NPC Standing Committee will take a “decision plus amendment” approach to improve the electoral system of the HKSAR at the constitutional level to provide sound institutional safeguards for “patriots governing Hong Kong”.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR on Friday said it’s imperative for Hong Kong to improve its electoral system, as doing so is necessary to ensure the steady and sustained implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy in the city.
In a statement, the Commissioner’s Office spokesperson also stressed Hong Kong is part of China, and that its electoral system is one of China’s local electoral systems. It is solely China’s internal affair as to how to design, develop and improve the system, and no foreign country must interfere.
The spokesperson also urged the international community to fully understand and respect “one country, two systems”.