CHINA: China National people's congress votes for a review of Hong Kong's election laws

Record ID: 847085

  • Title: CHINA: China National people's congress votes for a review of Hong Kong's election laws
  • Date: 6th April 2004
  • Summary: (W2) BEIJING, CHINA (APRIL 6, 2004) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE / SECURITY CLOSE OF NATIONAL EMBLEM WITH COMMUNIST STARS WIDE OF EXTERIOR GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE SLV DELEGATES COMING OUT OF BUILDING SLV HONG KONG NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS STANDING COMMITTEE MEMBER TSANG HIN-CHI COMING DOWN STEPS SLV MEDIA WIDE OF TSANG HIN-CHI WITH MEDIA SCU
  • Embargoed: 21st April 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA93CZCTZAAMONY9YCXPDTH36KB
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: China's parliament rules that it has the power to decide if Hong Kong needs electoral reform.
    Chinese parliamentarians voted on a review of Hong Kong's electoral laws on Tuesday (April 6, 2004) and gave Beijing the final say on the territory's political rights.
    The move is seen as snuffing out the pro-democracy movement and pushing back the prospect of full elections by years.
    While Hong Kong can change its election laws from 2007, Beijing said its approval must be obtained before the city can even begin to amend its election laws, giving China full control over the city's political reforms.
    "After 2007, including 2007, if we want to change it, we can change it and we can also not change it, if we change it we have to do it according to the Basic Law. The Hong Kong government has to report to the National People's Congress Standing Committee and the Committee will make a decision according to the Basic Law. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region must report to the Hong Kong legal committee. It is very clear, people shouldn't oppose it blindly. We should take the interests of the people of Hong Kong as the first priority," said NPC Standing Committee member Tsang Hin-chi from Hong Kong. The leaders of the National People's Congress (NPC) reviewed two clauses that set out how the former British colony's chief executive and lawmakers are chosen.
    Raymond Wu, a Hong Kong NPC delegate, told reporters after that the vote that the new rules did not necessarily represent a barrier to future changes in the territory's electoral laws.
    "It's not a barrier (to change), it doesn't mean no need for changes. What the changes are have to be based on a document," said Wu.
    Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy lawmaker, Martin Lee, has said the interpretation set a precedent that undermined the rule of law in the former British colony.
    Critics argue that the move erodes the high degree of autonomy the territory was promised when China took it back in 1997.
    Beijing fears the calls for greater democracy in Hong Kong could spread to the mainland and undermine the Communist Party's rule.
    The U.S. State Department said on Friday (April 2) it "strongly supported" the desire of the people in the territory for democracy, electoral reform and universal suffrage.
    China and Hong Kong promptly retorted that the territory's constitutional development was none of Washington's business.
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