#EU report: #Beijing "Consciously dismantling" HK's One Country Two Systems

The European Commission and the High Representative have on Mar 12, 2021 reported on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “Over the course of 2020, we have witnessed an alarming political deterioration in Hong Kong. The National Security Law imposed by Beijing is being used to crack down on pro-democracy forces, stifle dissent and pluralism, and erode fundamental freedoms. The arrest of dozens of pro-democracy activists in January this year confirmed that this trend is accelerating.

"China is consciously dismantling the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle in violation of its international commitments and the Hong Kong Basic Law. The regressive electoral changes approved yesterday in Beijing are yet another step down this path.”

The report highlights that, over the course of last year, Hong Kong experienced a further severe erosion of its high degree of autonomy, its democratic principles, and the fundamental freedoms that the Chinese authorities committed to protect until at least 2047. This rapid deterioration calls into question China's willingness to uphold its international obligations and its commitments to the people of Hong Kong under the ‘One Country, Two Systems' principle and the Hong Kong Basic Law.

Full press release from European Commission:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_1086

Source: Stand News #Mar12 #OneCountryTwoSystems #NationalSecurityLaw #PoliticalSuppression
#ElectoralOverhaul

#NewZealand and #Australia condemn electoral overhaul forced on Hong Kong by China

On 12 March 2021, New Zealand and Australia have issued a joint statement expressing deep concerns about changes to Hong Kong's electoral system.

Issued by Foreign Affairs Minister #NanaiaMahuta and her Australian counterpart, senator #MarisePayne, it said the changes passed by China further undermine rights, freedoms and the high degree of autonomy guaranteed to Hong Kong until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The two urged Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to uphold their commitments to allow Hong Kong people’s genuine participation in their governance, and their rights to scrutinise the government and express diverse views.

"These changes run contrary to the ultimate aim of a Hong Kong Chief Executive elected through universal suffrage, weaken Hong Kong's democratic institutions, and erode freedom of speech and association - all of which are set out in the Basic Law," the statement from Mahuta and Payne said.

https://bit.ly/30TQEM6

Read full statement here:

Joint statement on electoral changes in Hong Kong on 12 March 2021
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/joint-statement-electoral-changes-hong-kong

#ElectoralOverhaul #CCPControl #Regime

Source: Stand News #Mar13

#CCPControl #Regime
British Foreign Secretary: China Breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration Continuously

On March 13, 2021, British Foreign Secretary #DominicRaab issued another statement, shortly following the first one two days ago on March 11, 2021 in which he slammed Beijing’s decision to impose radical changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Raab wrote in the statement that “this is part of a pattern designed to harass and stifle all voices critical of China’s policies and is the third breach of the Joint Declaration in less than nine months.”

He further stated that, “the Chinese authorities’ continued action means I must now report that the UK considers Beijing to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration - a demonstration of the growing gulf between Beijing’s promises and its actions.”

In closing, Raab reiterated UK’s support to Hong Kong, saying that “the UK will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong. China must act in accordance with its legal obligations and respect fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.”

Immediately following the National People's Conference's (#NPC) resolution to impose an electoral overhaul on Hong Kong, Dominic Raab made a statement on March 11, 2021 saying that the latest step by Beijing would “hollow out the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong, contrary to the promises made by China itself.”

Several MPs of UK parliament, however, disparaged the British Government for paying mere lip-service and questioned whether the Government would impose #sanction over concerning officials in Hong Kong based on the Magninisky Human Rights Act.

#MagniniskyAct #SinoBritishJointDeclaration #ElectoralOverhaul

Source: Stand News #Mar13

https://bit.ly/3f18WU9

#PoliticalSuppression #1C1S
China Axes Hong Kong's Electoral System to Boost Influence

Watch video:
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/29261

On March 30, 2021, Beijing imposed an overhaul in Hong Kong's electoral system. After a two-day meeting, the PRC's National People’s Congress Standing Committee (#NPCSC) directly amended two annexes in Hong Kong's Basic Law. All these changes will come into immediate effect on March 31, 2021.

In the Election Committee to select the Chief Executive, all 117 district councillor seats are eliminated.

The seats are replaced by “representatives of members of area committees”, including members of the government-appointed District Fight Crime Committees, the District Fire Safety Committee of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, as well as representatives of associations of Hong Kong residents in the mainland.

A new sector will be added. They are deputies to the PRC's National People’s Congress (#NPC), the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (#CPPCC), as well as representatives of “Hong Kong members of relevant national organisations”.

As for the Legislative Council (#LegCo), the number of directly elected seats in the geographical constituency will be reduced. The District Councillor seats within the LegCo are to be removed.

The changes are likely to increase the influence of the pro-Establishment camp while ridding of the role of the locally elected District Councillors.

The District Council election had been the only direct election in Hong Kong since the Handover in 1997. In the 2019 election, the pro-democracy camp had a landslide victory across the territory, winning 388 seats to the pro-Beijing camp's 59.

Source: Stand News #Mar30

#HongKongElection #ChiefExecutive #DistrictCouncil #CCPRules
#ElectoralOverhaul #Beijing