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China grants itself power to veto Hong Kong's electoral candidates

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Its Parliament approves plans to ensure 'patriots' run the territory, including the power to veto candidates

BEIJING: China's Parliament voted yesterday for sweeping changes to Hong Kong's electoral system - including the power to veto candidates - as Beijing moves to ensure only "patriots" run the city following huge pro-democracy rallies.

The measures consolidate Beijing's increasingly authoritarian grip over the global financial hub following the imposition of a national security law in June, which critics see as a tool to crush dissent.

Senior Chinese officials have made clear loyalty to the Communist Party will be key to deciding if a Hong Konger is a "patriot".

Chinese state media yesterday sketched out some of the key provisions of the law, which will still need to be written. Those include an Election Committee that votes for the leader to reflect Hong Kong's "realities and representative of the overall interests of its society," according to Xinhua.

The committee would be fattened out to 1,500 representatives, up from 1,200. In addition, the law will bring in a "candidate qualification review committee", as well as boost the number of seats in the LegCo - Hong Kong's legislative council - from 70 to 90. It was not immediately clear how many of the seats would be directly elected by Hong Kong's people.

But the initial details show China plans to reduce the number of directly elected officials in both the LegCo and the committee that chooses the chief executive, said Professor Willy Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Centre for China Studies. "It's a fail-safe formula to ensure only people deemed patriots will be on those two important bodies," he told AFP.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said yesterday that being a patriot does not mean you have to "love" the Chinese Communist Party.

She also pledged her "staunch support" and expressed "sincere gratitude".

The restructuring is aimed at getting the city "back on the right track", Mrs Lam said.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said yesterday that proposed changes to Hong Kong's electoral system would further undermine international trust in China.

"This is the latest step by Beijing to hollow out the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong," Mr Raab said. - AFP, REUTERS

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