China has ‘broken its word’ on Hong Kong
The UK yesterday declared that China had again shown a “clear breach” of the Sino-british Joint Declaration by imposing new rules to disqualify pro-democracy opposition members from Hong Kong’s parliament. “China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy,” said Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary. The US said it was considering imposing fresh sanctions on China after it “flagrantly violated” international commitments.
THE UK yesterday declared that China had again shown a “clear breach” of the Sino-british Joint Declaration by imposing new rules to disqualify pro-democracy opposition members from Hong Kong’s parliament.
“China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy,” said Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary.
“The UK will stand up for the people of Hong Kong, and call out violations of their rights and freedoms. With our international partners, we will hold China to the obligations it freely assumed under international law.”
The US said it was considering fresh sanctions on China after it “flagrantly violated” international commitments.
On Wednesday, Beijing passed a resolution giving Hong Kong authorities the power to disqualify politicians deemed a threat to national security – yet another step in a crackdown to quash dissent in Hong Kong. City officials moved swiftly, immediately removing four pro-democracy legislators.
In solidarity, the remaining 15 prodemocracy lawmakers announced they would resign, throwing Hong Kong’s mini-parliament, the Legislative Council, into turmoil. Exiting lawmakers have 14 days to move out.
The UK considers China to have broken the Joint Declaration three times including earlier this year when Beijing installed a sweeping national security law. The Un-registered treaty, signed in 1984, was aimed at preserving Hong Kong’s unique way of life for at least 50 years after the former British colony was returned to Beijing in 1997.
Britain has also summoned the Chinese ambassador to register deep concern and is “carefully considering” whether to impose sanctions on Chinese officials, Nigel Adams, the Minister for Asia, told Parliament.
But the UK has limited avenues to hold China to account apart from “expensive rhetoric,” said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
“We don’t have a lot of teeth on this even in the best of times,” he said.
But “having the British government say that it’s not going to stand by an international agreement with the EU, while trying to hold China to account to an international treaty will be dismissed by Beijing as rank hypocrisy”.
Dennis Kwok, one of the disqualified lawmakers, told The Daily Telegraph, “This will definitely destroy Hong Kong”, describing the situation as “diabolical.”
The city’s “one country, two systems” policy “is now merely a fig leaf covering for the CCP’S [Chinese Communist Party’s] expanding one-party dictatorship in Hong Kong,” said Robert O’brien, the US national security director.
The US also threatened further sanctions on “those responsible for extinguishing Hong Kong’s freedom”.
The EU called on China to immediately reverse the rules to disqualify elected legislators, saying “this arbitrary decision from Beijing further significantly undermines Hong Kong’s autonomy”.
Until now, pro-democracy lawmakers had hung on, filibustering votes and voicing opposition against an overwhelming pro-beijing majority – an effort to “be a pain in the neck,” said Claudia Mo, a resigning legislator.
But Beijing’s move to force lawmakers out was a game-changer, she said. “If it’s not likeable by Beijing, you’re out of the game.
“But not only can they bar you from running in any political election; they could just chuck you out.”