Pro-Beijing committee to elect some Hong Kong legislators

Hong Kong chief cxecutive Carrie Lam exchanges greetings with a fellow delegate before the opening session of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (Andy Wong/AP)

The largely pro-Beijing committee that elects Hong Kong’s leader will also choose some members of the legislature, a top Chinese official announced on Friday as part of a major revamp that will increase China’s control over Hong Kong politics.

“The election committee will be entrusted with the new function of electing a relatively large share of Legco members and directly participating in the nomination of all candidates for the Legco,” said Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, during the annual session in Beijing.