Hong Kong Legislative Council Election Results Highlight the Mainland Takeover

MIN READDec 22, 2021 | 17:41 GMT

Officials open a ballot box as vote counting starts Sept. 19, 2021, in Hong Kong.

(Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Hong Kong's Legislative Council elections have put the legislature in the hands of pro-Beijing factions, and will accelerate Western sanctions against China. It deepens the continued erosion of all branches of the Hong Kong government, while the voter turnout shows democratic abstention as a remaining outlet for protest. Western sanctions pressure against Chinese human rights abuses will grow as the erosion of Hong Kong's democratic norms worsens, while the new LegCo will promote Hong Kong's greater regulatory and economic alignment with Beijing....