(RepublicanInformer.com)- The Chinese Communist Party and the nation’s legislature has moved forward with controversial and widely-condemned plans to reduce the number of directly elected seats in the Hong Kong legislature. It’s a major setback for Hong Kong, a Chinese territory that has been embroiled in conflict and protests over the last few years over China’s encroaching authoritarianism.
On Tuesday, Chinese legislators concluded a meeting that spanned two days, confirming that the legislature would be expanded to include 90 seats with only 20 of those seats directly elected by the people of Hong Kong.
Under the current setup, 35 of the 70-seat Hong Kong legislature is directly elected, giving Hong Kong at least some power over its destiny. Now, China has condemned the country to a lifetime of servitude to the communist government.
Unless the West gets involved, that is. But who honestly believes that President Joe Biden will ever stand up to China in any meaningful way?
Former elected legislator from the Democratic Party, Emily Lau, said that it’s a “very sad day for Hong Kong” and described how the election system had been “completely dismantled.”
“They are going to get rid of opposition voices because under this new system, which is so oppressive and restrictive, I don’t think any self-respecting individual will want to take part,” she added.
Not only will elected legislators effectively have no power, but they’ll also become targets of the Chinese state if they stand up to their authoritarian policies.
Who would want that job?
Republicans have already expressed their anger about the situation, with former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley saying that the Communist Party “will now handpick who can serve in Hong Kong’s legislature.”
After crushing its democracy, the Chinese Communist Party will now handpick who can serve in Hong Kong’s legislature.
This was the plan all along and it doesn’t end with Hong Kong. #StandWithHongKong https://t.co/sDoYu0Tlbo
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) March 30, 2021
Senator Marsha Blackburn also called on her Twitter followers to stand with Hong Kong, and then slammed Joe Biden for failing to boycott the Olympics in China.
When Joe Biden decides to boycott the Olympics in China, where the Communist Chinese regime is committing genocide, then he can weigh in on Georgia.https://t.co/pDd1WRhKUR
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) April 1, 2021
Where exactly is Joe Biden on this issue?
Under the new Hong Kong system, 20 legislators will be directly elected, 30 will be appointed by the constitutions, and then an Election Committee will choose 40 other candidates.
An overreaching government picking legislators? What could possibly go wrong…
