Experts: HK democratic system serves city well

With the upcoming Legislative Council election expected to bring more patriotic talent into the city's governance, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is fully capable of developing a democratic system that best suits the city's actual needs, said political and legal experts.

Their remarks came as the United States hosted the so-called Summit for Democracy from Thursday to Friday. The virtual summit, held via video teleconference, also invited Hong Kong fugitive Nathan Law Kwun-chung to give a speech. Law fled to the United Kingdom and is wanted by the Hong Kong police on charges of inciting secession and collusion with external forces.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said instead of blindly following Western-style democracy, Hong Kong's new electoral system considers the city's historical background and conforms to its actuality, especially the fact that Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China and operates under the principle of "one country, two systems".

Therefore, the new system is beneficial to Hong Kong's long-term political, economic, and social development and the improvement of people's livelihoods, Lau said.

Solicitor Kennedy Wong Ying-ho believes patriotic individuals elected under the revamped system will further improve Hong Kong's governance and promote democratic development.

Saying that the previous chaos in Hong Kong society obstructed many aspiring talented individuals to serve the public, Wong added that the election under a new political landscape has attracted a growing number of competent candidates and will better serve the city's interests.

Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said that with the new electoral system, he is confident that Hong Kong can develop a democratic system that best suits its actual development needs.

Expressing confidence in the democratic systems of the Hong Kong SAR and the nation, Tam strongly denounced unfounded defamation of the systems and foreign interference regarding the issue.

Wong and Lau also slammed the US' malicious act of inviting Law, the Hong Kong fugitive, to speak during the virtual summit.

The only reason for the US move is that it intends to cultivate an "international spokesperson" to vilify Hong Kong's democratic development and the "one country, two systems" policy, Wong said.

Lau said the US move was a futile anti-China plot, adding that the influence of US-style democracy is decreasing around the world due to its deficiencies in promoting people's livelihoods.

Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that the summit is a "political farce" and called Law a "coward" who did not dare face the consequences of breaking the law.