The German Federal Ministry of the Interior believes that Hong Kong dissidents in Germany, while not in jeopardy, are subject to disruption of their protests by overseas Chinese loyal to the Beijing government.
In a reply letter to the FDP parliamentary caucus, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior said, “Since the outbreak of the protest wave in the Hong Kong SAR it is certain that the Chinese presence in Germany has been trying to strengthen its influence and direct the public Perception of the protests in the direction that China wants, for example by taking action against the supporters of the protests,” Deutsche Welle reported on Feb. 20. ” The Süddeutsche Zeitung was informed of the letter and reported on it.
The report quoted the letter as saying that a series of events organized in public places and online in solidarity with Hong Kong had been disrupted by “overseas Chinese loyal to the government. The letter cited a rally in Hamburg last August as an example of counter-demonstrators who appeared at the venue and took photographs and pictures, “possibly to intimidate. Deutsche Welle briefly reported on the incident, in which pro-Beijing Chinese sang the Chinese national anthem and took pictures of protesters at close range, threatening to turn them over to the Chinese consulate.
The letter from the Federal Ministry of the Interior warns that the enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law against the opposition is so broad that it could indirectly affect people living in Germany, even if they are not residents of Hong Kong, who could become subject to the Hong Kong National Security Law. The possibility cannot be ruled out that in the future China may respond more firmly to protests held abroad and their organizers in accordance with this law, although the letter also writes that there is no indication that Hong Kong dissidents in Germany are being endangered.
Paraphrasing the Interior Ministry’s letter, Gyde Jensen, chairwoman of the Liberal Democrat Bundestag Human Rights Committee, said “the federal government now recognizes that the long arm of the Chinese Communist Party has reached out to Germany,” and said the German government must be clear that “Chinese state-style digital surveillance, which brings with it It targets not only dissidents or activists abroad, but also all Chinese living abroad, so Jensen argued that the German Interior Ministry and intelligence system need a new strategy that can effectively protect Chinese abroad as well as those living in exile in Hong Kong.
As for how to protect Hong Kong exiles, Hong Kong law student and activist Glacier Kwong submitted a petition to the German Bundestag on January 25, asking Germany to impose sanctions on those responsible in China, but also hoping that the German government will make corresponding changes to its political asylum policy for Hong Kong exiles.
Deutsche Welle reports that the German government has so far not made a decision to take practical action to help the exiled Hong Kong people. Since 2017, only six Hong Kong people have submitted political asylum applications in Germany. As of mid-October last year, only two applications had been approved for asylum status.
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