Hong Kong electoral changes do not represent will of residents, future votes will lack credibility: top US envoy

Name: China’s top legislative body passes sweeping Hong Kong electoral reforms
Uploaded: 2021-04-01T11:16:30.000Z
Duration: 2 min 34 s
Description: China’s top legislative body passes sweeping Hong Kong electoral reforms

US Consul General Hanscom Smith says elections will fail to produce any ‘meaningful democratic results’

Asked about possible sanctions, diplomat says Washington reviewing all available options

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US Consul General Hanscom Smith. Photo: May Tse

Jeffie Lam

Published: 7:16pm, 1 Apr 2021Updated: 12:49pm, 5 Apr 2021

Beijing’s drastic overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system would neither produce any “meaningful democratic results” nor represent the inclusive and credible will of Hongkongers, the United States’ top envoy to the city said on Thursday.

But US Consul General Hanscom Smith stopped short of indicating whether Washington would consider slapping more drastic sanctions on Chinese officials in retaliation for the changes, only saying it would evaluate all of its available options.

“The recent changes … rubber-stamped by the National People’s Congress will reshape Hong Kong’s electoral landscape even more dramatically, packing [the Legislative Council] and the committee that selects the chief executive with its own hand-picked supporters and subjecting all candidates for office to a screening for ill-defined patriotism,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the latest moves by Beijing, once implemented by the Hong Kong government, will ensure that the upcoming [chief executive] and Legco elections will not produce meaningful democratic results, and will be neither inclusive nor credible representations of the will of people in Hong Kong.”

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China’s top legislative body passes sweeping Hong Kong electoral reforms

On Tuesday, the NPC Standing Committee approved sweeping changes to the city’s electoral system which would empower the Election Committee – originally tasked with picking the chief executive – the right to nominate all candidates aspiring to be lawmakers and elect 40 representatives of its own to Legco.