With the election for Hong Kong's Legislative Council set for on the 7th of next month, figures deeply linked to mainland Chinese capital have effectively taken over the candidate list.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 7th, a total of 161 people registered as candidates for the Hong Kong Legislative Council election, with registration closing the day before, on the 6th. The Legislative Council is the legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is similar to Korea's National Assembly. This year's Legislative Council election is the second since the Chinese government revised the electoral system in 2021 under the principle of "Hong Kong ruled by patriots."
Under the election law amended in 2021, to register as a Legislative Council candidate, one must pass screening by a Candidate Eligibility Review Committee made up of senior government officials, police, and members of district committees. This principle was abruptly introduced by the Chinese central government to seize control over Hong Kong after the massive pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. Because the committee judges a candidate's patriotism, pro-democracy figures critical of the Chinese or Hong Kong governments are effectively barred at the outset.
Among the candidates who passed this year's "patriot vetting," many are mainland corporate executives and members of key political bodies. SCMP's analysis of all 161 candidates running this year found that 49, or about one-third, hold titles as executives or outside directors at mainland corporations. It reflects how the growing sway of mainland capital across Hong Kong's economy is being projected directly into politics.
In the National People's Congress, China's parliamentary body, 16 of Hong Kong's 36 delegates registered as candidates in this Legislative Council election. At least 12 Hong Kong figures from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, also threw their hats into the ring. This raises concerns that the Legislative Council could devolve into a rubber stamp credit entrying the will of the Chinese central government.
Legislative Council members review and approve major development projects in Hong Kong as well as bills related to corporations. For this reason, when someone who credit entrys the interests of the mainland and Chinese corporations becomes a lawmaker handling Hong Kong's public interest, it is hard to collateral fairness.
Citing political commentator Lo Siu-hing, SCMP said, "There is ample room for conflicts of interest in the process of reviewing development projects and the like from which mainland corporations could profit," and added, "Elected lawmakers must disclose all interests transparently and be subject to public scrutiny."