HONG KONG – An Olympic gold medallist and other young faces are entering upcoming elections in Hong Kong as China strives to shore up the legitimacy of the city’s legislature, even though it vets all prospective candidates. 

Beijing loyalists control the Legislative Council (Legco) but state media outlets have indicated that China wants more political talent and competition among its allies, with around one-third of the current legislature set to step down including veteran lawmakers from major pro-Beijing parties.

Ms Vivian Kong, 31, a fencer who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Mr Howard Chao, 38, the son of real estate tycoon Cecil Chao and a member of China’s top political advisory body, are among two openly pro-Beijing residents of Hong Kong who have submitted nominations for the Dec 7 poll.

Nominations close on Nov 6. They will be vetted by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee, a group of senior Hong Kong officials working with national security police to conduct background checks on candidates for “patriotism”.

It has discretionary power to disqualify anyone.

“An important purpose of the central government’s improvement of Hong Kong’s electoral system is to reverse the past trend of political infighting and build a high-quality democratic system,” China’s state-owned Ta Kung Pao newspaper reported in an editorial this week.

It added that such a system would support the government to enhance economic development.

China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After mass

pro-democracy protests in 2019