Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Britain, EU Join U.S. In Condemning China's Crackdown On Hong Kong Lawmakers

Britain, EU Join U.S. In Condemning China's Crackdown On Hong Kong Lawmakers

Britain and the European Union on Thursday condemned China's move to disqualify four pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong - an action that has led to the mass resignation of the opposition in the city's legislature.
The move follows the approval on Wednesday by China's National People's Congress Standing Committee of a resolution giving Hong Kong authorities the power to bypass local courts and summarily remove politicians seen as a threat to security.

Four Hong Kong lawmakers who support the territory's pro-democracy movement were quickly unseated, prompting opposition lawmakers to resign en masse as a show of solidarity.

The resolution effectively gives Beijing veto power over who sits in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, or Legco, and the mass resignation of the opposition leaves the assembly with no dissenting voices.

London on Thursday accused China of breaching the agreement that laid the groundwork for the handover of Hong Kong nearly a quarter century ago. The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984, spelled out the "one country, two systems" philosophy meant to afford the former British colony a large measure of autonomy.

The U.K.'s minister for Asia, Nigel Adams, told Parliament that London was considering sanctions against individuals in China. "It's not entirely appropriate to speculate who may be designated under the sanctions regime in the future as that could reduce the impact, but we are carefully considering further designations under the scheme."

The EU on Thursday called Beijing's move a "severe blow" to Hong Kong's autonomy and called for the resolution to be immediately reversed.

"This latest arbitrary decision from Beijing further significantly undermines Hong Kong 's autonomy under the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle," the EU's 27 governments said in a statement. "These latest steps constitute a further severe blow to political pluralism and freedom of opinion in Hong Kong," they said.

U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien on Wednesday also criticized the move, saying in a statement: " 'One Country, Two Systems' is now merely a fig leaf covering for the CCP's expanding one party dictatorship in Hong Kong," referring to China's Communist Party.

On Monday, the Trump administration announced sanctions on an additional four Chinese officials in response to the national security law.

In July, the Trump administration signed legislation and an executive order sanctioning Beijing for its national security law.

"Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China," Trump said at the time. "No special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies."

The 15 remaining opposition lawmakers walked out of the chamber on Thursday. In an act of defiance, one of them unfurled a banner saying of the city's Beijing-appointed leader, Carrie Lam, that she will "stink for 10,000 years." Lam has defended the ouster of the four legislators as lawful.

Beijing's liaison office called the mass walkout a "farce" and said it demonstrated the lawmakers' "stubborn resistance" to China's authority.

"Opposition lawmakers have used their public post as a tool of political manipulation," a spokesperson said for China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. "If these lawmakers hope to make use of their resignation to provoke radical opposition and beg for foreign interference, they have miscalculated."

Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said the resignations won't officially take effect until Dec. 1. "This is for us to handle the dismissal of our staff members and assistants," he said.

Last year, major protests in Hong Kong erupted over a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed some people accused of crimes in the territory to be transferred to mainland China to face courts there. The bill was later withdrawn, but Beijing later approved a sweeping national security law that provides for harsh penalties for supporting secession, subversion of state power, terrorism or collusion with foreign entities.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×