The closing ceremony of the National People’s Political Conference (Political Cooperation) is being held at the People’s Congress in Beijing, China on the 10th, with communist party leaders including President Xi Jinping. When the National People’s Congress (Non-in University) is over on the 11th, China’s annual largest political event,’Yanghoe’, will also end. Beijing = EPA Yonhap News
On the 11th, China will deal with the reorganization of the Hong Kong election system. This is to complete the’Patriot-ruled Hong Kong’, emphasized by President Xi Jinping. As democratic officials are blocked from entering public offices, China’s control of Hong Kong is expected to further strengthen.
The National People’s Congress of China (Non-in University) held the 13th 4th Plenary Meeting at the Beijing People’s Congress on the 11th, the last day, at 3pm (local time) and voted on a draft’Resolution on Completion of the Hong Kong Election System’. The National People’s Political Negotiation Conference (Political Cooperation) closed the day before, and the eight-day schedule of China’s annual largest political event, “Lianghoe,” is also ended.
The reorganization plan included △ the establishment of a high-level committee to examine the qualifications of candidates for the election, △ the exclusion of the council members (117 seats) among the electoral corps that elect the Hong Kong administrative minister, and △ expansion of the range of competent representatives of the legislative assembly. This means that the democratic camp, which won overwhelming victory (86% of seats) in the November 2019 congressional election, will be pressed against the momentum of the democratic camp, and will block the running of the candidate at the source according to the taste of China in future elections.
If the draft is passed, the law is finalized by the NPC Standing Committee, which has been delegated the authority to amend the law. The draft will focus on explaining the principles and background of the election system amendment, and details such as the reorganization of the number of seats will be discussed at the commerce committee. Afterwards, the Hong Kong Basic Law will be implemented by amendment of the annexes 1 and 2 containing the election rules.
Tiananmen Square outside the People’s Congress in Beijing, China, where the two meetings were held, was cloudy due to deteriorating air quality on the 10th. A portrait of President Mao Zedong can be seen in the distance. Beijing = EPA Yonhap News
Last year’s’Hong Kong Security Law’ went through the same process. The draft was overwhelmingly passed with 2,878 votes in favor, 1 vote against, and 6 abstentions at the NPC plenary meeting on May 28. On June 30, the NPC Standing Committee unanimously passed the bill in 15 minutes. The law enactment process, which usually takes more than four months, was eliminated in just one month. Since then, a security law frenzy in Hong Kong has caused more than 100 people to be arrested.
In light of this, the reorganization of the election system may be implemented as early as next month. If China blocked street protests in Hong Kong with the security law, it would be removing the roots of anti-Chinese forces that would challenge power through the electoral system. It is unclear whether the election of the legislative assembly (our National Assembly), which has been delayed for one year to September, will be held properly, as the method of constituting the electoral corps will be changed in a direction favorable to China ahead of the Hong Kong administrative minister’s election scheduled for March next year. This is because the distribution of seats in the two elections and the composition of the electoral corps are linked.
China began to drive public opinion by emphasizing the necessity of reforming the system. Li Jansu (栗戰書), Chairman Jeon In-dae, said in a business report on the 8th, “China will make a series of’comprehensive legal blows’ so that only patriots can rule Hong Kong through amendment to the electoral system to protect the constitutional order in Hong Kong.” Said. The Liberation Daily defended it as “a measure to regain stability and defeat Hong Kong’s opposition members who participated in the anti-China riots.”
Beijing= Kwangsoo Kim Correspondent [email protected]
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