HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s electoral reform bill has been introduced in the city’s legislature, setting in motion changes that will give Beijing greater control over the process while reducing the number of directly elected representatives. The bill is part of efforts to rein in political protests and opposition in Hong Kong, which is part of China but has had a more liberal political system since the 1997 handover from Britain. Political freedoms are under threat since China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong last year and is now revamping the electoral process as part of a crackdown after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The bill envisages the 70-member legislature with only 20 elected members and the rest are appointed. Elections are due in December.
