President Xi Jinping effectively neutralized the most democratic institution under China’s rule, sending a message to Joe Biden that no pressure will drive him to tolerate dissent against the Communist Party.
China’s top legislature on Wednesday passed a resolution allowing for the disqualification of any Hong Kong lawmaker who does not consider himself loyal enough. Executive Director Carrie Lam’s administration immediately exiled four lawmakers, prompting the remaining 15 on the 70-seat Legislative Council to resign en masse.
“This measure makes it clear that the dictatorship has descended on Hong Kong and that the Chinese Communist Party can eradicate all opposing voices in the legislature,” Fernando Cheung, one of the legislators, told Bloomberg News. “There is no more separation of powers, no more ‘one country, two systems’ and therefore no more Hong Kong as we know it.”
The resolution is the latest sign of China’s determination to curb dissent following last year’s anti-government protests calling for meaningful elections in the semi-autonomous territory. Since then, Beijing has passed a series of measures asserting greater control over Hong Kong, first targeting democracy activists who took to the streets and now targeting dissidents in the democratic institutions established under British colonial rule.
Lawmakers began submitting their resignations on Thursday, according to Radio Television Hong Kong. Claudia Mo, a prominent pro-democracy voice during last summer’s protests, came forward to resign wearing a black T-shirt, a favorite garment for protesters, and carrying a yellow umbrella, which became the symbol of the Occupy protests in 2014.
China has already shown disdain for the Legislative Council, bypassing it in June to impose sweeping national security legislation that undermines the “one country, two systems” framework that has long drawn investors to the financial hub. The Group of Seven nations accused China of violating the terms of its handover agreement with the United Kingdom, while the Trump administration revoked many special privileges granted to the city and sanctioned more than a dozen senior officials who oversee the territory.
Beijing’s latest move was not met with street protests, most of which have dissipated amid pandemic-era social distancing restrictions and the enactment of the national security law.
Biden’s victory presents an opportunity to restore relations between the world’s two largest economies, despite the former vice president calling Xi a “bully” in the election campaign and vowing to “fully enforce” laws punishing Beijing. for eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy. However, China’s move on Wednesday doesn’t leave it much choice for detente, particularly given that the city has long sat at the crossroads of Western democracy and communist rule.
Western governments, including the UK and Australia, condemned China’s move, while US national security adviser Robert O’Brien warned of new sanctions in a statement late Wednesday. The powerful China Liaison Office in Hong Kong, however, issued a statement saying that the opposition’s resignation would not change the government’s view.
China on Thursday called criticism from foreign governments “pointless accusations” and said it was normal for public servants to swear allegiance in other countries.
The NPC’s move “is conducive to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests and Hong Hong’s long-term stability, security and prosperity,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing. daily, saying Beijing strongly supports the Hong Kong authorities.
A sad day’
“With this decision, China shows that it does not care about the West, the United States,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor in the government and international studies department at Hong Kong Baptist University, who has written several books on Chinese politics and the foreign policy. “It is going to be very difficult for Biden to relax US policy on China and Hong Kong. How to relax the sanctions? It is a very sad day for Hong Kong. “
The decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress is “conducive to long-term peace and stability, as well as to the prosperity and development of Hong Kong,” President Li Zhanshu said at the end of their two-day meeting. The offenses included supporting Hong Kong’s independence, refusing to recognize China’s sovereignty over the city, asking foreign countries to intervene, failing to respect the Basic Law of the territory or swearing allegiance to Hong Kong, and “participating in any other act that puts endangered national security, “Lam said. , Leader of Hong Kong.
“We need to have a political body made up of patriots,” Lam said at a briefing on Wednesday, echoing similar statements from China’s main agencies overseeing Hong Kong. He dismissed concerns that Hong Kong will have a “rubber stamp” legislature if pro-democracy members resign, and said he welcomes “diverse opinion”.
The disqualified lawmakers on Wednesday – Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung – were among the body’s more moderate members and were not known advocates of independence. They were among 12 candidates who were banned from running for election in July, among other things, for swearing to “indiscriminately” reject legislative proposals, a reference to the opposition’s plan to exercise a constitutional provision that would force Lam to resign if your budget is not approved.
Pressed on whether she sought to ban parliamentary delay tactics common to legislatures around the world, Lam said “it’s all a matter of degree” and pledged to “respect the body’s responsibility for checks and balances.”
“They want to turn the Legislative Council into the National People’s Congress,” pro-democracy lawmaker James To said as the opposition promised to resign in an afternoon briefing on Wednesday. Lawmakers held hands and chanted slogans of protest, including “Hong Kong, add oil: Together we are.”
Before the decision, the Hong Kong government had postponed an election for the Legislative Council for a year citing concerns about the coronavirus. Wednesday’s decision means authorities will now be able to effectively expel any lawmaker who stands in the way of Beijing’s agenda, according to Antony Dapiran, a Hong Kong lawyer and author of “City on Fire: The Fight for Hong Kong.” “
“It effectively means the end of significant opposition in Hong Kong and the acceleration of Hong Kong’s integration into the mainland party-state,” he said.
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