BEIJING—China broke a period of relative silence after a decisive loss by Beijing’s allies in Hong Kong’s local elections, blaming the result on foreign interference and offering few signs the landslide victory by pro-democracy candidates is prompting any change in its Hong Kong strategy.
China, speaking through state media, decried the election as a sabotage campaign orchestrated by antiestablishment forces, but it offered little evidence to back its claim. It hewed to earlier rhetoric that other countries, particularly the U.S., were interfering with China’s domestic affairs.
In Sunday’s district races, pro-democracy candidates won 392 out of 452 seats, more than tripling their previous haul in 2015 and delivering a rebuke to the view put forward by mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials that a “silent majority” in Hong Kong oppose the violence that has come with the pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city for months.
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Initially, reports in China’s state media Monday had been muted on the election, noting that voting had taken place but making no reference to the results. The change in tone Tuesday suggested to some political analysts that Beijing had expected a more positive outcome, and it raises questions over the quality of information the central government is relying upon.
“Yet again, Beijing is surprised by just how much public opinion has turned and how strong the pro-democracy campaign is,” said Adam Ni, co-editor of China Neican, a China-focused newsletter, and a visiting scholar at the National Chengchi University in Taipei. “This will be another wake-up call to Beijing.”
It is unclear what Beijing will do next. Outside of the state media reports, it has offered few public pronouncements. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang didn’t offer any hints of a concrete response in prepared remarks on Tuesday, but he was quoted criticizing U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, for praising the election results, urging them to focus instead on unresolved issues in the U.S.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed chief executive, offered some contrition at a news briefing Tuesday, saying her government would seriously reflect on the views expressed at the polls. But she also added that “it was not for the government to interpret the result,” suggesting that authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong wouldn’t dramatically change course.
Chinese state media also made clear to observers like Mr. Ni that Beijing’s official line is likely to remain unchanged on Hong Kong, with an attempt to pin responsibility for the outcome on outside schemers.
State media additionally took direct aim at U.S. lawmakers, who the editorial writers charged with interfering in domestic politics by passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act ahead of Sunday’s vote. The legislation would require the U.S. to re-examine its relationship with Hong Kong, a formal show of support for the pro-democracy movement.
The bill was sent to the White House last week after overwhelming support from both houses of Congress. President Trump is locked in trade talks with Beijing and said last week that the protests in Hong Kong were a “complicating factor” in trade negotiations.
In a sign of China’s anger at the bill, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing summoned U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad Monday to protest the passage of the bill, calling it interference in an internal Chinese matter.
Write to Philip Wen at philip.wen@wsj.com
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