On Tuesday [30th March], China’s top legislature decided to slash the number of elected officials within Hong Kong’s legislative chamber. This change takes the chamber from 50% elected to just 22% elected.
These amendments to Hong Kong’s constitution were passed after a two-day session.
Further changes
We also saw an expansion of 25% to The Election Committee.
A new committee will be established to review the qualifications and “patriotism” of electable candidates. The political opposition says this move is an attempt to quell democracy in the former British colony.
Context
Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 to 1997 (aside from a brief Japanese occupation). It was returned by the Blair government in 1997, under the Sino-British Agreement [Thatcher, 1994]. This insisted that it remain a democratic society separate from Beijing. It also demanded that capitalist systems remain in place until at least 2047.
Recent
Recently, tensions between China and the West have been increasing. Beijing announced they regard the Agreement as void and have been encroaching on the democracy of Hong Kong. This has led to retaliation by the Commonwealth, such as sanctions, immigration routes, etc.
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