The Chinese embassy in Canada has denounced the five eyes alliance for their statement on Hong Kong government’s disqualification of candidates and postponement of Legislative Council elections.
On July 9, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the five eyes) had said that the disqualification of candidates and postponement of elections have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.
In a sharp response, the Chinese embassy in Canada, in a statement said, “…the foreign ministers of Canada and other countries made a statement which once again contained irresponsible comments on the Hong Kong affairs and amounted to gross interference in China’s domestic affairs. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this”.
The statement further read that postponing the elections was out of public health precautions amid the pandemic, while the security law closed security gaps in Hong Kong that could otherwise jeopardize the region’s long-term peace and security, reiterating the rationale that Beijing has consistently confronted to similar accusations.
The embassy further called on the five countries to “immediately stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs and use Hong Kong as a tool,” emphasizing that Hong Kong is a subject of China’s jurisdiction.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and his counterparts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK made a statement condemning the new security law in Hong Kong as infringing on the special administrative region’s rights and freedoms. The five foreign ministers also urged the Hong Kong authorities to conduct the recently-postponed legislative elections as soon as possible and let disqualified pro-democracy candidates run in the campaign.
The Hong Kong elections were initially scheduled for 6 September. In late-July, the government postponed the vote, citing coronavirus-related risks. Additionally, several candidates, considered pro-democracy, were banned from running on the grounds that their political activities were inconsistent with the new security law.