Hong Kong begins first polls after shake-up of electoral system
The formation of the election committee on Sunday is the first poll to be held under the patriots' rule imposed by Beijing.
The formation of the election committee on Sunday is the first poll to be held under the patriots' rule imposed by Beijing.
Hong Kong has adopted the strictest social distancing measures and restrictions on inbound visitors to cope with a resurgence of Covid-19 cases since the beginning of July.
Lam, a pro-Beijing appointee, was one of a number of Chinese and Hong Kong officials sanctioned by the United States after Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the semi-autonomous city in late June.
As relations between Washington and Beijing remain tense, the US has moved to end preferential treatment for Hong Kong over what it sees as an erosion of its autonomy and freedoms.
The arrests of the suspects, aged 16 to 21, on Wednesday marked the first such crackdown on anti-government activists not at the scene of street protests since the legislation came into effect on June 30
China pressed ahead with the legislation despite the US warnings that it could revoke Hong Kong's trade privileges.
The four nations said imposing the security law would undermine the "one country, two systems" framework agreed before Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
China made the security law a top priority at its annual National People's Congress (NPC) session, after huge pro-democracy protests rocked the financial hub for seven months last year.
The discussion on the so-called National Anthem Bill comes at a tense moment in the semi-autonomous city.
The city has recorded 1,000 infections and four deaths out of a population of 7.5 million people.
