London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

Envoys to Hong Kong warned against meddling, urged to support electoral overhaul

Envoys to Hong Kong warned against meddling, urged to support electoral overhaul

Chinese foreign ministry’s Yang Yirui tells international representatives that ‘reasonable’ overhaul necessary to protect city’s status as trade, finance hub.

Beijing’s top diplomat in Hong Kong has warned foreign envoys in the city against meddling in the country’s internal affairs, urging them instead to support the coming overhaul of the electoral system.

Yang Yirui, acting commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong, briefed representatives of 59 countries and the European Union on Monday about Beijing’s planned shake-up, which will introduce a series of changes aimed at ensuring only “patriots” govern the city.

Yang’s comments to diplomats and envoys behind closed doors came as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was publicly offering assurances the city could still move towards greater democracy after the changes to the electoral system.

Lam expanded on those comments in an interview with state broadcasters CCTV and CGTN on Tuesday, saying that while the central government’s plan would safeguard the city’s politics from unpatriotic elements, it was not intended to “eradicate the chances of individuals who hold certain political positions”.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London was deeply concerned over Beijing’s proposals, while a group of US congressmen said Beijing’s plan would further undermine Hong Kong’s degree of autonomy, and urged United States President Joe Biden to stand with the people of the city.

But in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said improving the electoral system in Hong Kong would ensure that residents better realised their democratic rights and freedom.

“[The electoral system’s] design, development and improvement fall entirely under China’s internal affairs. No country is entitled to make irresponsible remarks,” Zhao said.

Under Beijing’s plan, the 1,200-member Election Committee that selects Hong Kong’s leader could be expanded by 300 seats to further cement the pro-establishment camp’s dominance, while the same body could become responsible for deciding who can run for Legislative Council seats.

Other changes could see Legco expanded from 70 to 90 seats, with at least 30 seats guaranteed for members of the Election Committee.

The ongoing National People’s Congress [NPC] session was expected to close on Thursday by endorsing a resolution empowering its standing committee to work out the details of the changes.

Members of the Electoral Affairs Commission move ballot boxes on stage during 2017’s Hong Kong chief executive election.


Yang’s meeting with diplomats was revealed on Tuesday, as Hong Kong deputies to the NPC were scrutinising a slightly amended draft of that resolution, paving the way for it to be endorsed on Thursday.

“Some words in the draft were amended to make the expressions clearer, but there’s no change to the major content,” a delegate said.

Another source called the changes “minor and insignificant”, and said there was little discussion among delegates on the item.

Washington has labelled the overhaul a “direct attack” on the city’s autonomy and democratic processes, while the European Union has accused China of reneging on the promise of universal suffrage guaranteed under the Basic Law.

But Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday defended the electoral changes as “constitutional, lawful, legitimate and reasonable”, saying they would help the city to maintain long-term prosperity and stability.

At the briefing with diplomats, details of which only came to light on Tuesday, Yang said “loopholes” in the city’s electoral system must be “closed with the utmost urgency to fundamentally resolve the problems in Hong Kong”.

“If the chaos in the elections is left unchecked and anti-China troublemakers are allowed to worm their way into the governance structure … Hong Kong will be plunged into violent turbulence, its status as an international financial, shipping and trading centre placed under threat, and the interests of the international community here in peril,” he warned.

Yang argued it was common practice in unitary states for the central government to determine local electoral systems and require public officers and administrators to meet rigorous standards of patriotism to be eligible.

“The implementation of the ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’ principle … will help to stop destabilising forces from obstructing Hong Kong’s development at the legislature [and] improve the relationship between the executive and legislative branches,” Yang said.

“It will help to bridge differences and build consensus … dispel concerns among the international community about social unrest in Hong Kong, and provide international businesses with a more enabling environment featuring greater social tranquillity, political stability and business predictability.”

As for foreign criticism, the Chinese official said: “Allegations that vilify the central government’s efforts to improve the electoral system of the [city] and predict doom and gloom for Hong Kong are nothing but alarmist rumours.

“The Chinese side hopes the consular corps in Hong Kong and the international community at large will abide by the principle of non-interference. Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs and are crucial to China’s core interests.”

The Chinese official noted that 70 countries made a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council in support of China’s stance on Hong Kong.

“A very few countries, driven by political motives and ideological bias, have made irresponsible remarks and even threats to meddle with the central government’s decision to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system. Their attempts are doomed to be futile,” Yang warned.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a news conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing via video link on March 7.


In response, a spokesman for the US consulate said: “[China’s] attempt to label its crackdown on Hong Kong as a purely ‘internal matter’ ignores Beijing’s international obligations and commitments, including in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

“[Beijing’s] planned ‘reforms’ to Hong Kong’s electoral system will eliminate what remains of Hong Kong’s political pluralism.”

Separately, Hong Kong NPC deputy Michael Tien Puk-sun on Tuesday said he supported the idea of guaranteeing Legco seats for members of the Election Committee, as it would encourage competent people who cared for the city’s overall interests but did not want to run in an election to join the Legislative Council.

“Some business leaders and professionals can offer insights for the long-term development of Hong Kong and they don’t just care about [sector-specific] interests,” Tien said. “But under the present electoral system, they do not bother to contest Legco seats in geographical or functional constituencies.”

Tien, who is also a directly elected lawmaker, said Beijing’s plan to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system would provide opportunities for those people to enter the legislature.

Addressing the planned introduction of a “full mechanism”that would give the committee the power to vet candidates for office, Tien said it could ensure only those who earnestly served the community would qualify.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
×