City poised for positive political, economic changes

The much-awaited remedy to flaws in Hong Kong's electoral system will lift the city out of a bottomless political mire, enabling competent patriots to lead it into a more promising future, according to local political and legal experts.

They believe the legitimate and justified legislative proposal for the city, put forward by the nation's top legislature, serves Hong Kong's practical needs and will bring profound positive changes to its political and economic environment.

To plug loopholes that long existed in the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the National People's Congress submitted a draft decision on improving the system to the fourth session of the 13th NPC, which ends on Thursday.

The draft decision proposes establishing a new democratic system suited to Hong Kong's practical needs and characteristics by reforming the election for lawmakers and restructuring the committee that elects the city's chief executive.

Once the NPC Standing Committee amends the Annex I and Annex II of the HKSAR Basic Law, the Hong Kong government will apply the amendment through local legislation, along with the improved system in upcoming elections.

The proposed amendment is in response to the protracted chaos witnessed in Hong Kong's Legislative Council and district councils.

In recent years, especially after social unrest in 2019, the two organs of Hong Kong's political system often descended into mayhem, with irresponsible lawmakers and district councilors continuously obstructing or even paralyzing the councils' operations, brazenly advocating violence and seeking foreign sanctions to pressure local authorities over political demands.