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China Briefing | Britain has criticised Beijing’s changes to the Hong Kong electoral system – but it also inspired them
- The model of a strong executive-led government of appointed officials, free from political constraints, was seen as vital in the city’s transformation
- With Hong Kong’s next chief executive set to be chosen next year, it would not hurt future local leaders to delve into and draw inspiration from history too
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Beijing formally kicked off its plans to remake politics in Hong Kong on Tuesday, when China’s top lawmaking body approved sweeping changes to the city’s electoral system to ensure the central government has critical control over how its leader and lawmakers are chosen.
These changes are widely seen as the latest example of Beijing’s attempt not only to tighten its political grip over Hong Kong, but also to push it to become another Chinese city that mirrors mainland ways.
Britain, along with the United States, has led international criticism of Beijing’s efforts to rewrite rules for the governance of its former colony, saying that the changes undermined the freedoms of the Hong Kong people and breached the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that guaranteed the city’s high degree of self-administration under the “one country, two systems” agreement.
In many curious ways, however, when Beijing tried to work out the new China-dominated political order for the city, its officials actually turned back the clock and drew inspiration from the colonial governance model that once served Hong Kong well.
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Indeed, during most of the more than 150 years of British colonial rule, its administration in Hong Kong had excluded any democratic participation in the government, with the governor exercising absolute executive power. The governor was advised by the Executive Council (Exco), the members of which were wholly appointed by the governor himself – including the representatives of major British firms and the commander of the British garrison in the city.
The role of the Legislative Council (Legco) was largely nominal as all of its members were appointed before 1985, and the majority of them were civil servants, which made the passing of bills a formality.
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Meanwhile, most policymaking was carried out by the powerful civil service.
02:34
China’s top legislative body passes sweeping Hong Kong electoral reforms
China’s top legislative body passes sweeping Hong Kong electoral reforms
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