G7 Foreign Ministers and EU express concern following the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong

China-loyal candidates celebrate victory in Sunday’s election in Hong Kong. In the center of the picture is Starry Lee, leader of Hong Kong’s largest China-friendly party, Democratic Alliance for Benefit and Progress for Hong Kong. Photo: Lam Yik

Noting the outcome of the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong which took place on 19 December 2021, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union have in a joint statement expressed their “grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements of the Special Administrative Region’s electoral system.”

Candidates loyal to the Chinese government secured in the 19 December election a landslide victory in the election to Hong Kong’s parliament, the so-called Legislative Council (LegCo).

The election is the first after China has made sweeping changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system and before the election, China had adopted a “patriot resolution” that allowed the regime in Beijing to examine all the candidates thoroughly.

In the joint statement, the 7G Foreign Ministers and the EU said that “the package of changes to the electoral system introduced earlier this year in Hong Kong, including reduction of the number of directly elected seats and establishment of a new vetting process to severely restrict the choice of candidates on the ballot paper, undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.”

“We strongly reiterate our call on China to act in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its other legal obligations and respect fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, as provided for in the Basic Law. We also call on the China and the Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s political institutions and end the unwarranted oppression of those who promote democratic values and the defense of rights and freedoms,” the statement said. 

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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