EU Denounces Overhaul Of HK Political System

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); });

2021-06-10 HKT 03:38

Share this story

facebook

  • The EU said it would intensify its response in a statement released through the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Photo: AFP

    The EU said it would intensify its response in a statement released through the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell. Photo: AFP

The European Union on Wednesday denounced Hong Kong's major overhaul of its political system as a breach by China of its international commitments and threatened to send a delegation to visit the autonomous city.

The possible move is likely to irk Beijing which might see it as an interference with its domestic affairs and may further sour relations after the EU put on hold an investment deal with China over concerns about Hong Kong, China's claims to sovereignty in most of the South China Sea, and the mass detentions of Muslim Uyghurs in northwestern China.

The EU "will intensify its response to the situation in Hong Kong, notably through increasing support to its civil society and media, promoting freedom of expression, facilitating mobility of Hong Kong citizens, as well as ensuring observation of the trials of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong," the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement.

"A visit of high-level EU officials will be considered," he added.

The legislative changes adopted by Hong Kong's lawmakers late in May will reduce the proportion of seats in the legislature that are filled by direct elections from half to less than a quarter. A new body will vet candidates and bar those deemed insufficiently patriotic towards China from standing. (Reuters)

RECENT NEWS

StartmeupHK Festival And Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 Merge For 10th Anniversary Milestone

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced on 10 March 2025 that both of its flagship events, Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025 an... Read more

Ant AI-Powered Health Insurance Processes 7.25M Claims In 2024, 55%YoY Increase

In 2024, Ant Insurance, the online insurance brokerage platform of Ant Group, processed 7.25 million health claims, mar... Read more

Ping An Talent Uses AI For Job Matching, But Can Technology Make Recruitment Fairer?

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. has launched its 2025 Spring Campus Recruitment, offering over 2,000 p... Read more

HKEX Partners With CMU OmniClear To Boost Post-Trade Securities Infrastructure

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced on 4 March 2025 that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding ... Read more

PAObank Secures Insurance Agency Licence, Partners With Ping An And FWD Hong Kong

PAO Bank Limited (PAObank) has received its Insurance Agency Licence from the Insurance Authority and signed strategic ... Read more

IFAST Launches Self-Service Accounts For Hong Kong Family Offices

Fintech solutions provider iFAST HK launches self-service accounts in Hong Kong, catering to the growing demand for ind... Read more