China is in “clear breach” of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the U.K. declared Thursday after the dismissal of pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused China of having “broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.”
On Wednesday, China’s National Congress gave Hong Kong authorities the power to dismiss elected representatives who “refuse to recognise China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong,” and those who “seek foreign countries to interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong.”
The new law was used to expel four elected members almost immediately. This was followed by the walk out of 15 more pro-democracy representatives.
In a statement Thursday, Raab said Beijing’s “imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong constitutes a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration,” which was agreed between the U.K. and China as a blueprint for how the city would be ruled after its 1997 return to China.
He added: “China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. The U.K. will stand up for the people of Hong Kong, and call out violations of their rights and freedoms. With our international partners, we will hold China to the obligations it freely assumed under international law.”
The White House also condemned China following the walk out, asserting that Beijing had “flagrantly violated its international commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
Beijing has dismissed the mass resignation as a “farce”, with a statement from the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office saying the pro-democracy lawmakers had demonstrated a “stubbornly confrontational attitude against the central government.”