LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2020) UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday that the removal of four opposition lawmakers from Hong Kong�s Legislative Council by the Special Administrative Region government represents a "further assault" on the former British colony�s autonomy.
"China's decision to arbitrarily remove elected pro-democracy Hong Kong legislators from their positions represents a further assault on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the UK-China Joint Declaration," Raab said in a statement.
The UK foreign minister also said that "this campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China's international reputation and undermines Hong Kong's long-term stability."
The four democratic lawmakers were disqualified shortly after Beijing passed a resolution allowing the special administrative region (SAR) to remove lawmakers if they are deemed a threat to national security.
The proposal to enact the power was forwarded to the National People's Congress in Beijing from the Hong Kong government itself.
Beijing's imposition of stricter laws policing national security threats that may emerge from the former British colony has been seen by Western nations as stripping Hong Kong of its special status in favor of imposing China's will, something authorities on both sides deny.
