Beijing's decision to dictate who the candidates will be for upcoming elections in Hong Kong has led to questions about whether China is fully committed to the 'one country, two systems' policy.
It has also caused heated protests in the region, with police reportedly using pepper spray to break up some demonstrations.
2017 will mark the fifth elections in Hong Kong since it became a part of China in 1997.
Auckland University politics lecturer Dr Stephen Noakes says instead of moving towards universal suffrage, including the ability to stand for office, Hong Kong is instead heading in the other direction.
"They're certainly going to truncate the list of candidates who are in practise going to be able to hold office," he said on Firstline this morning.
"It's going to make it very difficult for anyone not sympathetic to Beijing's agenda to stand for office."
But widespread are the protests? And might Beijing back down?
Watch the video for the full interview with Dr Stephen Noakes.
source: newshub archive
