The U.S. government on Friday (March 5) denounced China’s move to revise Hong Kong‘s electoral system as a “direct attack” on Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic process, and said the United States is working to “galvanize collective action” in the international community in response to China’s crackdown in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and elsewhere. The crackdown.
Earlier Friday, Beijing released a draft decision to revise Hong Kong’s electoral system to further tighten its grip on the territory.
It is almost a foregone conclusion that the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament, will adopt the revised decision. After massive anti-government protests erupted in Hong Kong in 2019, the Chinese government imposed a Hong Kong version of the National Security Law last year, followed by a major arrest and crackdown on pro-democracy opposition camps in accordance with the law. The changes to the electoral system will further marginalize the pro-democracy opposition.
State Department spokesman Condoleezza Price condemned this latest move by the Chinese government at a press conference on Friday.
He said, “The United States condemns the People’s Republic of China’s continued attacks on the democratic institutions of Hong Kong. At the opening session of the National People’s Congress on March 5, Wang Chen, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, prefaced a series of so-called ‘reforms’ to Hong Kong’s electoral system. These are a direct attack on Hong Kong’s autonomy, Hong Kong’s freedom and democratic process, restricting participation, reducing democratic representation, and stifling political debate in order to defy the clear will of the people of Hong Kong and deprive them of a voice in their own government and governance.”
Price went on to say, “If implemented, these measures would seriously undermine Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and directly violate the Basic Law, which recognizes that Hong Kong’s elections should move toward universal suffrage. We call on the People’s Republic of China to honor its international obligations and commitments and to act in a manner consistent with the Basic Law of Hong Kong. We have said this from the beginning: the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong. The people of Hong Kong are seeking nothing more than the universal rights that they deserve and should be guaranteed.”
The U.S. diplomatic spokesman said Washington is bringing together allies and partners to condemn China’s violations of the rights of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang and the crackdown being waged in Hong Kong.
Pompeo, former President Trump‘s secretary of state, determined before he left office that the Chinese government’s crackdown on Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang constituted a crime against humanity and genocide. His successor, Blinken, supported that determination.
The Secretary of State has determined that the People’s Republic of China has committed Crimes Against Humanity and genocide in Xinjiang,” Price said. Then-Secretary of State designate Blinken spoke about his determination of genocide during his confirmation hearings. The State Department had previously addressed the determination that crimes against humanity had occurred in the same region.
He went on to say, “The task at this moment is to rally our like-minded partners and allies around the world, and that includes Indo-Pacific, that includes Europe, that includes all parts of the globe, to stand up, speak with one voice, and condemn the human rights abuses that are taking place in Xinjiang, the repression that’s taking place there, and – going back to the previous question – the repression that’s taking place in Hong Kong and elsewhere. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Price went on to say, “We’ll have more to say on this issue. I don’t think anybody is satisfied with the international response to what’s happening in Xinjiang, and because of that, we’re galvanizing the world, galvanizing collective action in many ways to make it clear that these kinds of human rights violations in Xinjiang and elsewhere will not be tolerated.”
The Biden administration has said that the United States must be prepared to impose a price on Beijing for its actions in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and its threat to Taiwan.
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