Patten: NPC electoral reforms in Hong Kong 'completely destroys the pledge of one-country, two-systems'

Today, the Chinese Government announced further plans to delay the previously postponed Legislative Council Elections by another year and give the committee which selects the Chief Executive the power to nominate all candidates to the Legislative Council and directly elect some members to the legislature.

These announcements follow the news that the Chinese National People’s Congress is currently reviewing a package of measures that will change the size, composition, and formation method of an electoral committee that chooses Hong Kong's leader. The delay is to Legislative Council elections is anticipated to ensure these reforms are put in place before the next election.

Under Hong Kong’s Basic Law which is guaranteed by the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China previously agreed to leave Hong Kong’s electoral system and democracy unchanged until 2047.

Commenting on the electoral reforms, Lord Patten of Barnes, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a patron of Hong Kong Watch says:

“China's communist parliament has taken the biggest step so far to obliterate Hong Kong's freedoms and aspirations for greater democracy under the rule of law. Breaking all its promises, not least those made by Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese Communist Party has ordained that in order to be a Chinese patriot you must swear allegiance to the Communist Party. This completely destroys the pledge of one-country, two-systems. The Chinese Communist Party has shown the world once again that it cannot be trusted. It is a continuing and brutal danger to all who believe in free and open societies.”

Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch’s Chief Executive, said:

“The announcement of a further postponement of the Legislative Council elections until the committee which selects the Chief Executive, and is made up overwhelmingly of Chinese Communist Party members, is given the power to directly nominate and appoint members to the legislature marks the death knell of Hong Kong’s democracy.

These reforms present not just a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong’s Basic Law but a wholesale re-writing of the rules by Beijing. It is clear that President Xi is not even willing to play lip-service to the idea of One Country, Two Systems or to China’s international treaty obligations anymore.

Under these reforms the majority of Hong Kongers face permanent political disenfranchisement, with any candidate who offers criticism of Beijing or support for Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy effectively barred from participation. Of course, most of the democratic slate are now in jail anyway. In Hong Kong, popular public sentiment is being replaced with totalitarianism.

Such a cynical and permanent re-writing of Hong Kong’s Basic Law requires a firm response from the British Government, including the swift introduction of Magnitsky sanctions and the suspension of any further trade talks with China.”