Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Dec. 22 praised Hong Kong’s first “patriots only” legislative elections as a success amid mounting criticism by Western nations saying the poll wound back democracy in the city.
Wednesday’s face-to-face meeting comes on the heels of a legislative election on Sunday. The election was swept by politicians backed by China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) after leading figures in the pro-democracy opposition were jailed, or forced into exile. Further, only candidates determined by the CCP to be “patriots” were allowed to run.
