The Hong Kong flag flew from a ferry on July 2, 1997, a day after the former British colony returned to Chinese rule.
Romeo Gacad | AFP | Getty Images
Beijing on Friday proposed changes to “improve” Hong Kong’s electoral system, as Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang said China would “guard resolutely and discourage the interference of foreign forces” in the city.
The announcement was made at the beginning of China’s annual “Two Sessions” parliamentary meeting.
The Chinese government had earlier suggested potential changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, which critics said could hinder the city’s pro-democracy politicians.
Last week, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Business Office of China’s State Council, said in a Mandarin-translated statement translated by CNBC that “legal loopholes” in Hong Kong’s electoral system should be closed so the city should be governed only by “patriots”.
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The city is governed by a “one country, two systems” principle that gives it greater autonomy than other cities in mainland China, including limited electoral rights.
Beijing has been criticized internationally – by countries, including the US and Britain – for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, which has been promised in “one country, two systems”.
Last year, Beijing circumvented Hong Kong law to enact a controversial national security law. The movement was followed by months of pro-democracy protests in the city, which sometimes turned violent.