China Wades Into Hong Kong Rebel Lawmaker Oath Battle

China wades into Hong Kong rebel lawmaker oath battle

HONG KONG, Nov 4, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 04th Nov, 2016 ) - Beijing is set to step into a controversy over whether two Hong Kong lawmakers who advocate a split from China should be banned from taking up their seats, authorities in the special autonomous region said Friday.

The announcement comes a day after a court hearing in which Hong Kong authorities were seeking to disqualify Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching from the Legislative Council (Legco) after they made invalid oaths, amid widespread fears that China is tightening its grip on the city.

China's top legislative body will at its next meeting discuss the law which states that council members must swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China", the government said it had been told by Beijing.

Local media reports said China's National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) could issue an "interpretation" of Hong Kong's constitution on Monday in relation to the case. "The interpretation of the NPCSC brings a lethal blow to the legal system and the rule of law in Hong Kong," lawmaker Leung told reporters after the announcement.