China.org.cn: Who is the creator and defender of Hong Kong's democracy?

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China.org.cn

Dec 23, 2021, 09:00 ET

BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An interview with reporter Sun Wanlu from China.org.cn on Hong Kong's democracy:

The election for the seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) took place on Sunday, signifying the development of Hong Kong's democracy under the improved HKSAR electoral system.

The white paper titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems" released by China yesterday further reveals the real picture of Hong Kong's political development. It shows that it was the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government that steer the course for the development of democracy in Hong Kong and support this endeavor.

As we all know, before returning to China in 1997, Hong Kong was under British colonial rule for a long time. It was not until Hong Kong's return that citizens became the masters of their own affairs for the first time and began to enjoy genuine democracy and a high degree of autonomy.

When the "one country, two systems" policy was proposed back in the early 1980s, the Chinese government had already drawn up a blueprint for democracy in Hong Kong for after its return to the motherland. In addition, China stipulated the goal of dual universal suffrage in the Basic Law of the HKSAR, which was not included in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Since Hong Kong's return to China, the central government has taken three significant steps to advance the system of democracy in Hong Kong. All of these demonstrate that it is the motherland that created and advances Hong Kong's democratic system.

In recent years, some local forces initiated a series of actions to create chaos in Hong Kong. Due to the 2019 turmoil, the House Committee of the Sixth Legislative Council was unable to function for more than eight months in the 2019-2020 legislative session. As a result, a total of 14 bills could not be scrutinized and followed up in time, and bills dealing with matters such as improving welfare for local residents and vulnerable communities failed to pass.

The Chinese government took important measures to cease the violence and chaos, and restored order in Hong Kong. Then by making elections more broadly representative, politically inclusive, ensuring balanced participation, guaranteeing fair competition, and focusing on candidates' policy agendas and capabilities, the Chinese government also pushed for Hong Kong to shift from Western-style democracy to a democracy that suits the region and with its own characteristics. All of these demonstrate that it is the motherland that restored and upheld democracy in Hong Kong.

The course of development of Hong Kong's democracy has strongly demonstrated that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have always firmly supported Hong Kong in developing a democracy with its own characteristics. I believe with the implementation of a series of major measures, such as the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR and the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong," the region is embracing a better future with improved governance.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

Who is the creator and defender of Hong Kong's democracy? http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-12/21/content_77944481.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn