A former US diplomat said that China’s latest move to increase its control over Hong Kong will make the legislative body in the semi-autonomous region “largely ceremonial.”
“I think what we will see in the coming years is that the legislative council … will become a largely ceremonial organization – similar to the legislative apparatus in Beijing,” said Kurt Tong, former US consul general and head of the mission in Hong Kong and Macau, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” program on Friday.
Beijing on Thursday approved a draft decision to change Hong Kong’s electoral system. The proposed measures will change the size and composition of the Hong Kong legislature and electoral committee.
In response, UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said in a statement on Thursday: “This is Beijing’s last step to empty the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong, contrary to promises made by the China itself “.
Meanwhile, the US State Department condemned the move and said the changes were “a direct attack on Hong Kong’s autonomy, its freedoms and democratic processes”.
Hong Kong Legislative Council or LegCo.
Lui Siu Wai | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. It is governed under the structure of “one country, two systems” that promises the city greater autonomy than other cities on the Chinese continent, including independent legislative and judicial powers.
The city’s leader, Carrie Lam, said in a statement on Thursday that Beijing’s proposed changes are aimed at ensuring that Hong Kong is governed by “patriots”.
This will “solve the problem of LegCo making everything political in recent years,” she said referring to the legislative council. It will “effectively deal with the reckless actions or internal cracks that have divided Hong Kong,” she added.
The Hong Kong legislature “previously had limited capacity to actually draft laws. Now, I think it will have even less capacity to shape laws,” said Tong, who is now a partner at the consulting firm The Asia Group.
The latest proposed electoral changes occur less than a year after China imposed a controversial national security law in Hong Kong – bypassing the city’s legislature. The law followed months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which at times became violent.
Tong said Beijing’s goal was to “calm political opposition”, but “not to terribly change the way Hong Kong operates as an economy”.
This means that Hong Kong has so far maintained characteristics that have made it an international business center, such as its connection to the rest of the world and a fairly independent judiciary, Tong said.
Still, the business community is watching the situation in Hong Kong closely “with a degree of concern,” even if companies are not leaving the city, he added.
“I think the national security law has been the biggest concern with respect to the judiciary,” said Tong. “There are reasons for concern, but I think people will just need to watch it closely and see what happens.”