European Union warned it was considering “further measures” against Chinese regime for electoral reform in Hong Kong

The European Union (EU) on Thursday denounced the reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system imposed by the Chinese regime and He warned Beijing to “take further action” against this violation of the “one country, two systems” principle.

“Today’s decision constitutes a further violation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle (…) The EU will consider adopting further measures”, warned the head of European diplomacy, Josep borrell, in a statement on behalf of the 27 countries of the bloc.

The Chinese parliament on Thursday almost unanimously approved a reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system that will give the Xi Jinping government a veto over pro-democracy opposition candidates in parliamentary elections in the former British colony.

Ignoring warnings from Western capitals, the 3,000 deputies of the National People’s Congress (NPC) approved a “draft decision on improving the electoral system” in Hong Kong.

A round of applause greeted the result of the vote in the huge People’s Palace, seat of Parliament in Beijing. No deputy voted against the text and only one abstained.

Following the announcement of the reform last week, UK, US and EU warned Chinese regime against further attack on Hong Kong autonomy, and what remains of your freedoms.

This reform is “a direct attack on the autonomy of Hong Kong”, “By limiting political participation, reducing democratic representation and stifling political debate,” responded the spokesman for US diplomacy, Ned Price.

The proposed change in the appointment of members of the Legislative Council (Legco), Hong Kong’s parliament, comes nearly a year after China imposed a national security law that unleashed an unprecedented crackdown on activists in Hong Kong. opposition in the autonomous territory.

The Communist regime imposed the law following huge 2019 protests against Beijing’s influence in Hong Kong.

Despite its efforts, the Xi Jinping regime was unable to prevent a local consultation at the end of 2019 would give the opposition district councilors a big victory.

After Thursday’s vote, the NPC’s standing committee is expected to be tasked with drafting a bill that will be formally approved by the Chinese parliament before being imposed on Hong Kong.

The text has not been published, but the agency Xinhua He said he would increase the role of Hong Kong’s “electoral committee”, a subordinate body to Beijing that already directly appoints half of the Legislative Council deputies.

This mechanism has enabled the Chinese government to obtain favorable majorities for Legco since the return of the territory in 1997.

The electoral committee, which will grow from 1,200 current members to 1,500, will have the capacity to select the candidates who will be able to stand for the democratic election process., according to the official agency.

The Legco will drop from 70 to 90 members, but the agency did not say whether the electoral committee will now be able to appoint more than half of Hong Kong’s deputies.

When the UK returns to China, Beijing had guaranteed Hong Kong until 2047 an autonomy and freedoms unknown in the country. But the Chinese government and media have been saying for weeks that reform is needed to ensure that only “patriots” can run the financial metropolis.

The term patriotism means “I love the present People’s Republic of China led by the Chinese Communist Party”Song Ru’an, deputy commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong, said Tuesday.

“Patriots must respect the Chinese Communist Party,” he added. “We will review whether applicants meet these criteria.”

The Managing Director of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, strongly challenged by the opposition, she welcomed the vote of the Chinese deputies, whom she thanked “with all my heart”.

In September 2020, the authorities canceled the elections to renew half of the Legco, citing the situation of the covid-19 pandemic.

Monday, Lam had hinted that another postponement of the election was likely scheduled for September due to changes requested by Beijing.

With information from AFP

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