City Beat

As Beijing overhauls Hong Kong’s electoral system, is the city reaping what it sowed?

The year-long anti-government protests and street violence of 2019 finally broke the back of any remaining patience Beijing might have had

But while the opposition bloc’s future remains uncertain, there are tougher challenges ahead for their pro-establishment rivals too

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The central government is taking steps to ensure that only ‘patriots’ can rule Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Tammy Tam is the Publisher of the South China Morning Post, overseeing both editorial and business strategy and operations to drive the publication’s development and commercial growth.

Published: 4:56pm, 7 Mar 2021Updated: 11:55pm, 9 Mar 2021

You reap what you sow. This must have been on Beijing’s mind when it forged ahead with a drastic overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system.

The central government is now taking steps to ensure that only “patriots” can rule Hong Kong, blocking those it deems to be posing threats to national security from entering the city’s political arena.

If that is the fate awaiting Hong Kong’s opposition politicians, such a sweeping reform also serves as a timely reminder of the many tougher challenges ahead for their rivals from the pro-establishment camp. Are they prepared enough to win the hearts and minds of a broader general public, since Beijing has concluded that the “majority” of Hongkongers are patriotic?