G7 calls on China to end 'oppression' of democratic values
Foreign ministers in the G7 group of nations, including
the United States, have expressed severe anxieties at what they said was
China’s decision to fundamentally erode democratic elements of the electoral
system in Hong Kong.
The G7 released a statement that was tweeted by
British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, saying the recent decision to change
Hong Kong’s electoral system indicated that authorities in China were
determined to eliminate dissenting voices and opinions in Hong Kong.
“We also call on 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 defence
of rights and freedoms,” it said.
China’s parliament approved on Thursday a draft decision to
change Hong Kong’s electoral system, further reducing democratic representation
in the city’s institutions and introducing a mechanism to vet politicians’
loyalty to Beijing.
The measures are part of Beijing’s efforts to consolidate
its increasingly authoritarian grip over the Asian financial hub following the
imposition of a national security law in June 2020, which critics have seen as
a tool to crush dissent.
The European commission and the high representative noted in
an annual report on Friday that there had been an “alarming political
deterioration in Hong Kong”, citing the imposition of the national security
law, the arrest of dozens of pro-democracy activists in January, and Beijing’s
move this week to overhaul the city’s politics.
“China is consciously dismantling the ‘one Country, two
Systems’ principle in violation of its international commitments and the Hong
Kong Basic Law,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative and
vice-president, said.