China’s central government may be willing to ignore international outrage over the crackdown on Hong Kong as it is reportedly considering further measures to tighten its grip on the city, an analyst told CNBC on Monday.
Last week, media outlets including Reuters and South China Morning Post reported that Beijing may be considering changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system that could limit pro-democracy politicians and prevent them from participating in local elections.
The reports came when Xia Baolong, director of the China State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said in a Mandarin-language statement that Hong Kong should be ruled by patriots who do not violate national security law or lead the Chinese Communist. Party, according to a CNBC translation.
Xia said one reason Hong Kong saw an anti-Chinese movement was because the city’s important institutions were not entirely run by patriots. One way to ensure that only those most loyal to China rule Hong Kong is to improve the city’s electoral system by closing relevant legal loopholes, he added.
This photo taken on December 19, 2017 shows the Chinese (top) and Hong Kong flags being raised in Hong Kong.
Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty images
John Marrett, senior analyst at risk consulting firm The Economist Intelligence Unit, said Beijing has already taken several steps to stop Hong Kong’s opposition.
“It is remarkable that they are going much further in proposing these electoral reforms, details of which we have yet to see,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” Monday.
“But it does say something about their fear of a later resurgence of political instability and social unrest in the city, and it says more about their lack of concern over international outrage over Hong Kong,” he added.
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The city is governed by a “one country, two systems” principle that gives it more autonomy than other mainland Chinese cities, including limited electoral rights.
The Hong Kong government has barred at least 12 democracy candidates from participating in the city’s parliamentary elections – which were postponed by a year to September 2021. The government cited the pandemic as the reason for the delay.
In addition, in November last year, four opposition lawmakers were fired from the Hong Kong Legislative Council, causing others to resign in protest, Reuters reported.