Beijing’s expected decision to let disqualified Hong Kong lawmakers finish Legco term seen as effort to mollify US, ‘restore harmony’
- One pro-Beijing heavyweight attributes the expected move to a desire not to provoke the US in the lead-up to November’s presidential election
- Mainland academics, meanwhile, believe allowing the four barred Legco members to complete their term would ‘help restore political harmony’
Beijing’s unexpected decision to allow four disqualified lawmakers to serve out the extended term of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has caught many pro-establishment figures by surprise, given the central government’s hardball approach towards the city in the past few months.
One pro-establishment heavyweight said they believed Beijing wanted to avoid direct confrontation with Washington ahead of the US presidential election on November 3, while mainland academics said they expected the decision to be conducive to political reconciliation in a polarised Hong Kong.
A resolution allowing all incumbent lawmakers to stay on for another year, following the postponement of this year’s Legco elections is expected to be endorsed when the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China’s top legislative body, concludes its four-day session on Tuesday, the Post has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a pro-establishment politician said the expected move should be considered “in the context of US-China relations”.
“With just 80-odd days to go before the US presidential election, Beijing doesn’t want to provoke the US,” the politician said.
“Purging the four opposition lawmakers for political reasons would only give the US the pretext to target China. Washington would certainly make a big fuss claiming China was depriving the seats of democratically elected Hong Kong lawmakers.”