China will give itself power to veto any candidate for Hong Kong's legislature, according to a draft proposal described on Friday by a top Chinese lawmaker that represents a significant blow to the city's already limited democracy.

A Beijing-controlled election committee in the city would be tasked with "electing a large proportion of Legislative Council members and directly participating in the nomination of all Legislative Council members," Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said in Beijing.

Wang spoke at the opening of China's annual session of the Congress, which nearly always overwhelmingly approves any proposals put before it.

The 1,200-member election committee in Hong Kong is the same that selects Hong Kong's chief executive and is stacked with Beijing loyalists.

China has ushered in a sweeping crackdown against dissent in the former British colony after huge and often violent pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2019.

Hong Kong dominated headlines during last year's NPC session, when delegates to the chamber endorsed a tough security law designed to stamp out dissent in the city.

Hong Kong has never been a democracy -- something that has helped fuel the protests and resentment towards Beijing.

But until recently it maintained a veneer of choice that allowed a small and vocal opposition to flourish at certain local elections. Generally when Hong Kongers are allowed to vote, they vote in droves for pro-democracy candidates.

In recent years authorities have ramped up the disqualification of politicians either sitting in the city's semi-elected legislature or standing as candidates, based on their political views.

Last month Hong Kong announced its own plans to pass a law vetting all public officials for their political loyalty to Beijing.

China's parliament opens with focus on Hong Kong democracy
Beijing (AFP) March 5, 2021 - China's rubber-stamp parliament opened Friday with eliminating Hong Kong's political opposition on the agenda, a day after dozens of democracy campaigners in the city were jailed.

China has ushered in a sweeping crackdown against dissent in the former British colony after huge and often violent pro-democracy protests rocked the city in 2019.

Thousands of delegates to the National People's Congress (NPC) listened to an annual address by Premier Li Keqiang on Friday, a day after state-controlled media confirmed that the body would mull a draft measure on "improving the electoral system" of Hong Kong.

The territory dominated headlines during last year's NPC session, when delegates to the chamber endorsed a tough security law designed to stamp out dissent in the city.

Chinese state media has run editorials in recent weeks saying "electoral loopholes" will be plugged, while officials have said only "staunch patriots" -- those loyal to Beijing -- should be involved in governing Hong Kong.

Dozens of Hong Kong dissidents were jailed on Thursday for subversion in the broadest use yet of the security legislation enacted by China's Congress last year.

The annual week-long gathering of roughly 3,000 delegates, held in the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, is China's biggest political event of the year.

The highly choreographed display is held to drive home the unquestioned domestic power of the Communist Party while updating China and the world on its economic, political, environment and foreign policy priorities.

Li's speech made no mention of planned legislative changes for Hong Kong, merely repeating party boilerplate about Hong Kong continuing to enjoy a "high degree of autonomy."

- Strong growth -

The event takes place with China outpacing other major economies after bringing the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged on its soil, under control through draconian lockdowns and mass testing.

Li said the government was aiming for 2021 growth in the world's second-biggest economy of "above 6 percent".

"A target of over 6 percent will enable all of us to devote full energy to promoting reform, innovation, and high-quality development," Li told delegates.

"In setting this target, we have taken into account the recovery of economic activity."

China's economy expanded just 2.3 percent in coronavirus-stunted 2020, but Li noted that China was still "the world's only major economy to achieve growth" last year.

Li's speech is China's equivalent of a "state of the nation" address, and is traditionally used to reveal a growth target, which is regularly exceeded.

Li provided no such goal last year, citing the "great uncertainty" of the pandemic.

Analysts believe China's economy could grow 8-9 percent this year.

China's finance ministry, meanwhile, revealed that the nation's military budget -- the world's second largest after the United States -- would increase 6.8 percent in 2021 to 1.36 trillion yuan ($210 billion).

Beijing plans to spend 1.36 trillion yuan ($210 billion) on defence - which is still far less than Washington's military budget.

The pace of growth is up slightly from last year's 6.6 percent increase.

China's official military budget number, however, is widely believed to be lower than true spending.

Li made no direct mention of brittle ties with the United States, China's trading partner and geopolitical rival, with all eyes now on how the relationship may evolve under new US leader Joe Biden.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is due to hold a press conference on diplomatic affairs Sunday on the Congress's sidelines.

Planned or potential legislation during the NPC session includes a proposed revision to wildlife protection laws that would permanently ban eating most wildlife, amid the belief that the pandemic came from an animal host.

There also is a proposal to tighten data protection in a country that has embraced facial recognition, mobile payments and other digital solutions, but with attendant fears of identity theft.

Tech has become a key area of competition in the US-China trade and economic rivalry and Li pledged that "digitalisation will be sped up" in China.

"We will work faster to develop a digital society, digital government, and healthy digital ecosystem," he said.

Bills are nearly always overwhelmingly approved by the Communist Party-controlled chamber.

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