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Spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU Speaks on a Question Concerning the Statement by HR/VP of the EU on Hong Kong SAR’s Legislative Council Election
2021-12-22 00:03

Q: On 20 December 2021, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell issued a statement, claiming that the EU regrets the “violation of democratic principles and political pluralism” in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Election. What’s your response?

A: The recent election for the seventh-term Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR was held smoothly in accordance with the law. It represents a successful practice to comprehensively implement the new electoral system in Hong Kong SAR. The election process was fair, just, open, secure and clean, where the democratic rights of voters were fully respected and protected. China expresses its strong disapproval of and firm opposition to the gross interference from the EU side in the democratic election of an administrative region of China.

When it comes to the state of democracy and rule of law in the Hong Kong SAR, China has just released a white paper titled “Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”, which I recommend the EU side to have a good read. I’d like to emphasize that since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, Hong Kong citizens have been able to enjoy unprecedented democratic rights and freedoms. In accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, China has adopted and enforced the Law on Safeguarding National Security, improved Hong Kong’s electoral system and implemented the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”. This has helped restore stability in Hong Kong SAR and put Hong Kong SAR’s democracy and the rule of law back to the right track.

I want to reiterate that Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong. How Hong Kong SAR’s electoral system is designed, improved and operated is purely China’s internal affair, which allows no foreign interference. We urge the EU side to abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations, immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any form and stop undermining Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.

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