London, Mar 11 (EFE) .- The United Kingdom criticized this Thursday the electoral reform approved by China today for Hong Kong, which will allow it to strengthen its control over the former British colony, and considered it “the last step for Beijing to empty” the democratic space in that territory.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said in a statement that the amendment “can only further undermine confidence that China will meet its international responsibilities and legal obligations as a leading member of the international community.”
“This is the last step of Beijing to empty the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong, against the promises made by China itself,” says the brief note from the British Government.
China assured that the electoral reform for Hong Kong is aimed at “perfecting” the principle of autonomy under which the territory is governed and guaranteeing that the “patriots” rule it.
In a press conference after the closure of the National People’s Assembly (ANP, Legislative), the Prime Minister of the Asian country, Li Keqiang, affirmed that Beijing will continue to “fully apply the principle ‘one country, two systems’, under which Hong Kong people run Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy. “
The Chinese authorities have presented the plan as an “improvement” of the Hong Kong electoral system, although its detractors say that it will restrict the room for maneuver of the pro-democracy opposition and minimize the chances that it will win a majority in the Legislative Council, Parliament local. EFE
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