Hong Kong legislature approves China loyalty laws

Forty legislators approved the new law with just one dissenting vote in a chamber cleared of Opposition members late last year ahead of the current political overhaul

Hong Kong’s Opposition-devoid legislature approved new powers on Wednesday allowing the government to sack public office holders and bar election candidates from standing if they are deemed “disloyal” to local authorities or China. The new laws are part of sweeping changes that Beijing has ordered for Hong Kong’s already limited electoral system which will dramatically reduce the number of directly elected politicians and ensure only “staunch patriots” enter politics. Along with a sweeping national security law, the political changes are part of a broad campaign to quash dissent after huge and often violent democracy protests rocked the finance hub in 2019.