By Elishya Perera
MONTRÉAL, Québec (CWBN)_ The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have accused China of breaching the Sino-British Joint Declaration, by ousting pro-democracy lawmakers from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.
The foreign ministers of the 5 countries, known as the “Five Eyes intelligence sharing group”, issued a joint statement in this regard, yesterday (Nov 18).
It stated that, “The disqualification rules appear part of a concerted campaign to silence all critical voices following the postponement of September’s Legislative Council elections, the imposition of charges against a number of elected legislators, and actions to undermine the freedom of Hong Kong’s vibrant media,”
The statement called for Chinese central authorities to re-consider their decision and insisted that it is essential for China and Hong Kong authorities to permit people of Hong Kong to express their legitimate opinions.
Last week, four opposition lawmakers were disqualified after Beijing passed a resolution which permitted the pro-Beijing authorities in Hong Kong to sidestep courts and expel any legislative member who was considered a threat to national security. Following the incident, all pro-democracy legislators resigned, leaving the parliament with virtually no opposition members.
Meanwhile, in late June, Beijing imposed a national security legislation in Hong Kong that led to the United States to impose sanctions on Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and other Chinese officials involved in the crackdown.
Following the recent incident, the United Kingdom considers China to have breached the Sino-China Joint Declaration for the third time. Hong Kong, which was a British colony, was handed back to China in 1997 upon an agreement with China over a “one country, two systems” approach, meaning that Hong Kong would have its own legal system and borders.
“China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. 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 British Foreign Secretary said last week.
Even though China has not commented on the recent criticism, it was previously claimed that foreign criticism of Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong amounted to interference in the state’s internal affairs.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
