China passes ruling to disqualify young HK lawmakers

HONG KONG: China’s Parliament passed a ruling yesterday that effectively bars two pro-independence politicians here from taking office, Beijing’s most direct intervention in the territory’s legal and political system since the 1997 handover.

The National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing ruled that lawmakers must swear allegiance to Hong Kong as part of China, and that candidates would be disqualified if they changed the wording of their oath of office or if they failed to take it in a sincere and solemn manner.

The prospect of the ruling had sparked protests in the former British colony on Sunday. Foreign diplomats were watching closely, stressing the importance of the rule of the law to the city’s international reputation.

While the controversial decision effectively barred the two pro-independence politicians from being sworn in, a court in the city must still rule on the case, taking Beijing’s decision into consideration.

“The nature of Hong Kong independence is to split the country. It seriously violates the ‘one country, two systems’ policy,” said Li Fei, chairman of the parliament’s Basic Law Committee.

“The Central Government is highly concerned about the grave dangers the Hong Kong independence forces bring to the country and to Hong Kong,” Li said.

Hong Kong leader Leung Chunying said the city’s government would fully implement China’s interpretation of the mini-constitution, although it was not immediately clear if that meant the proindependence pair were already disqualified from office.

The move came after pro-independence politicians Yau Waiching, 25, and Sixtus Leung, 30, pledged allegiance to the “Hong Kong nation” and displayed a banner declaring “Hong Kong was not