Hong Kong Head Pledges Support For Beijing's Bid To Improve Region's Electoral System

Hong Kong Head Pledges Support for Beijing's Bid to Improve Region's Electoral System

The Hong Kong authorities will fully assist Beijing's efforts to improve the electoral system of the special administrative region and implement the so-called principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Friday

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2021) The Hong Kong authorities will fully assist Beijing's efforts to improve the electoral system of the special administrative region and implement the so-called principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Friday.

The remark came shortly after a draft decision on improving the Hong Kong electoral system was submitted earlier in the day to the National People's Congress (NPC) for deliberation. According to Beijing, the region's electoral system should conform to the One Country-Two Systems framework and ensure the patriots administering Hong Kong principle.

"We will fully co-operate with the Central Authorities by enacting local legislation to implement the improvement measures, with a view to faithfully putting the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" into practice," Lam said in a statement.

Given that there will be a number of elections in the coming 12 months, it is essential for Hong Kong to complete the necessary legislative work," the chief executive added.

Lam recalled that over the past two years, Hong Kong had faced unprecedented challenges, adding that Beijing has never spared efforts to address the pressing problems that Hong Kong face at the national level and demonstrated its commitment to the One Country-Two Systems framework.

"From the formulation and implementation of the National Security Law of the HKSAR, which halted chaos and restored order in Hong Kong, to the improvement of the electoral system of the HKSAR to ensure "patriots administering Hong Kong", our Motherland will forever provide staunch support to Hong Kong," Lam added.

From 2019-2020, Hong Kong experienced a series of protests against the city leadership and the central government, accompanied by violent clashes with the police and assaults on state facilities, including the Legislative Council.

In late June 2020, China adopted a law that adjusts security policies in Hong Kong to Beijing's perception of crime and punishment with regard to separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign countries. The law sparked mass protests in Hong Kong, as the critics of the law in China's special administrative region and abroad fear that it may limit Hong Kong's exclusive rights and freedoms. Meanwhile, Beijing insists the law aims at punishing illegal activities in the city without harming the fundamental freedoms of the local population.