“GRAVE CONCERN”
The newly passed law, which punishes treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets and espionage, sabotage, and external interference, will work in tandem to plug up “gaps” left by Beijing’s legislation, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has said.
The government has argued its creation was a “constitutional responsibility” as outlined under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, which has governed the city since the handover.
But Cameron said the fast-tracked legislation undermined the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an internationally binding agreement signed in 1984 in which China agreed to run Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” principle.
“I urge the Hong Kong authorities to … uphold its high degree of autonomy and the rule of law and act in accordance with its international commitments and legal obligations,” he said.
His statement also drew a rebuke from the Chinese embassy in Britain, which called it “a serious distortion of the facts”.
The embassy said the law, which imposes life imprisonment for crimes related to treason and insurrection, “fully safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents”.
“We urge the UK to cease its baseless accusations … refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs under any pretext,” it said.
The United States, United Nations, European Union and Japan have also publicly criticised the law.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said Tuesday that the United States was “alarmed by the sweeping and what we interpret as vaguely defined provisions” in the law.
UN rights chief Volker Turk called the law and its “rushed” adoption “a regressive step for the protection of human rights”.
The EU criticised not only the expected impact of the law on the city’s freedoms overall, but specifically said it had the “potential to significantly affect the work of the European Union’s office”, European consulates and EU citizens in Hong Kong.
“This also raises questions about Hong Kong’s long-term attractiveness as an international business hub,” the EU said in a statement on Tuesday.
Japan on Wednesday added to the chorus, saying it attached “great importance to upholding a free and open system and ensuring the democratic and stable development of Hong Kong”.
Japan “reiterates its grave concern about the passage of (Hong Kong’s national security law), which will further undermine the confidence in the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework,” it said.
Source: CNA
