China’s leaders intend to reduce the influence of Hong Kong opposition groups on a body that selects the city’s top official, taking seats from pro-democracy politicians and handing them over to pro-Beijing loyalists, according to people familiar with the proposal.
At an annual legislative session in March, Chinese lawmakers are expected to vote on the proposed changes to a 1,200-member committee that elects Hong Kong’s executive chairman, people said.
The revisions would drastically reduce, or could eliminate, the 117 seats allocated to Hong Kong district councilors, a bloc now dominated by opposition groups, they said. These seats will be given to some of the more than 200 Hong Kong-resident members of China’s main political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, people said.
The plan is part of the radical changes predicted by Beijing’s head of the Hong Kong business bureau, Xia Baolong, in a speech on Monday in which he said the Hong Kong executive, legislature and judiciary must include “true patriots.” In his first public speech, after taking office in early 2020, Mr Xia called anyone who opposes Chinese or Hong Kong governments “destructive” who should not be able to exert influence in the future.
Mr. Xia did not specify any proposed electoral changes, but people familiar with the plans said the details of the legislation are finalized before the opening of the March 5 National People’s Congress, China’s legislature. Executive Director Carrie Lam, who has a low public approval rating, has not said whether she intends to run for a second five-year term next year.