German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a statement on January 6 in response to the arrest of more than 50 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists on the same day. Maas said, “We call on the Chinese government to fulfill its international obligations towards Hong Kong and to uphold the rights of those affected and the rule of law commitments of the Basic Law.”
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp held two days in a row of 35+ Legislative Council election primaries last July, with 610,000 people voting across the territory. Fifty-three pro-democracy activists were arrested at the doorstep of the Hong Kong Police Force early on the 6th local time, alleging that they were suspected of violating the Hong Kong Regional State Security Law. On this incident, the United States, Britain, Canada and the European Union and other parties have responded one after another. According to Maas, “The news that more than 50 people have been arrested in Hong Kong – including politicians who were democratically elected in last year’s District Council elections – confirms the concerns we have expressed since the Hong Kong Regional Security Law took effect in July: that the law is being used to suppress the opposition, silence critical voices, and deny Hong Kong people their freedoms.”
According to Maas, “China is thus further departing from its commitments to the people of Hong Kong and the international community. We call on the Chinese government to fulfill its international obligations to Hong Kong and to uphold the rights of those affected and the rule of law commitments of the Basic Law.” In addition, a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said the same day that “the arrest of more than 50 opposition figures in Hong Kong on charges of subversion under the Hong Kong Regional State Security Law for their participation in the pro-democracy primaries last July marks another worrying step in the continued deterioration of the situation in Hong Kong since the adoption of the Hong Kong Regional State Security Law.” The statement said, “This follows much pressure on the press and the democratic opposition in recent months to question the possibility of democratic expression under the Hong Kong Basic Law.”
The French side said, “This issue is the subject of consultations with our European partners. France and its European partners took a series of measures last July, including actions on visas and mobility, increased vigilance on exports of sensitive materials to Hong Kong, support to civil society and mobilization of scholarship and university exchange programs, to show solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. These measures have been implemented taking into account the evolution of the situation. France reaffirms its commitment to Hong Kong’s autonomy and to respect for the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Basic Law and the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ in Hong Kong.”
In the face of international pressure, a spokesman for the Hong Kong government responded in a statement on the 7th that it “will defend national security decisively and without fear or favour, and has made clear that it is undeterred by the threat of sanctions from any overseas government and will not hesitate to condemn foreign or offshore forces that interfere brutally in Hong Kong’s affairs.”
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