Beijing’s liaison office says it has right to handle Hong Kong affairs, as provided by constitution and Basic Law
- Central government arm defends attack on ‘filibustering’ lawmakers, arguing its work falls outside the scope of Article 22
- But democrats say the criticisms amount to interference in local matters and ‘one country, two systems’ is being ‘torn apart’
Beijing’s top office in Hong Kong has rebutted accusations it was interfering in the city’s affairs in a strongly worded statement saying it had the responsibility and right to “supervise” how the “one country, two systems” policy was being implemented.
The fresh salvo marked the second time this week the central government’s liaison office has commented on the power Beijing exerts over the city and comes amid a tug of war for control of the House Committee in the Legislative Council, which sets the agenda for the weekly meetings, including when bills are put to a final vote.
The opposition pan-democrats, who have blocked the election of the chair to the committee, have come under repeated attacks this week not just from the liaison office, but also Beijing’s two other heavyweights in the city – the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) and the representative for the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Analysts pointed out it is exceedingly rare for all three to deliver such a sustained criticism on local politics, let alone in the span of a few days.
