A week before the EU summit, Hong Kong democracy activist and former General Secretary of Public Opinion Wong Chi-fung was briefly arrested by authorities on Thursday, with a European Commission spokesman warning that Beijing’s action undermines the EU’s trust in China.
The EU spokesman said that the developments in Hong Kong undermine China’s international commitments on Hong Kong affairs and the EU’s expectations of China, with consequences for the EU’s relations with China.
EU leaders were supposed to meet this Thursday to discuss strategic relations with China and with Turkey, but the summit was postponed until October 1 due to the neo-crowning epidemic.
The EU spokesman went on to note that the arrest of Huang Zhifeng continues a disturbing string of arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong since the summer.
Huang Zhifeng, 23, was arrested for “unlawful assembly” and authorities say he took part in a banned march in October 2019. This period last year was the height of Hong Kong’s public opposition to the rejection of the Chinese government, with sizable anti-government marches taking place every day.
Huang Zhifeng later tweeted that the authorities had also accused him of breaking the “no-masking” law. The Hong Kong government introduced a “no-masking law” to help identify protesters, but the Hong Kong High Court ruled the law unconstitutional.
The European Union demands that all detainees be subject to “adjudication through an independent legal system.
The EU reminded the Chinese authorities that “an independent judiciary, free from political considerations, is the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s autonomy under one country, two systems and protected by the Hong Kong Basic Law.
EU leaders have previously decided to restrict the export of surveillance and repression equipment to Hong Kong following the imposition by Beijing of Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law.
At the China-EU video summit on September 14, the Europeans issued an unreserved warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping. EU Council President Michel said that the EU was seriously concerned about the fears raised by Hong Kong’s version of the national security law and that the voice of Hong Kong’s democrats should be heard.
At a press conference after that meeting, EU Council President Michel said he told Xi Jinping that the EU would not continue to be used. “The EU will no longer be an arena for others” and “the EU demands a fairer trade relationship, a more balanced EU-China relationship, which means that both sides must compete on a reciprocal and fair basis.”
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