Guidance posted online Friday on one mainland website suggested that some 9 million Hong Kong residents could be allowed to vote in two elections in 2023. The site also said mainland rule on Hong Kong would be lifted after 2028, a timeline that comes after Beijing expressed concern that a majority of residents in Hong Kong do not want mainland influence in the city’s electoral affairs.
After the election, the Hong Kong government plans to decide on the electoral system. Meanwhile, a simplified method of elections will be tested in 2020.
The Hong Kong government stresses that any changes to the city’s electoral system must be agreed with Beijing before implementation. While a small group of resident activists are pushing for the liberalization of Hong Kong’s election system, Beijing firmly opposes any idea of people of the Hong Kong voting for Hong Kong chief executive.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said: “Hong Kong has its own political culture and political system, which has stood the test of time,”
Last year, Chen Yulu, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party’s organization department, said: “We firmly oppose any step toward the encouragement of any group in Hong Kong to overthrow the one country, two systems principle.”
Read the full story at South China Morning Post.
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