MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2020) UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab along with his Australian and Canadian counterparts, Marise Payne and Francois-Philippe Champagne, called for maintaining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy in a joint statement published on Friday in light of China's recent proposal of a new security law.
"We are deeply concerned at proposals for introducing legislation related to national security in Hong Kong. The legally binding Joint Declaration, signed by China and the UK, sets out that Hong Kong will have a high degree of autonomy. ... Making such a law on Hong Kong's behalf without the direct participation of its people, legislature or judiciary would clearly undermine the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems', under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy," the statement read.
Earlier in the day, Beijing during its annual National People's Congress (NPC) proposed legislation to ban "separatist, subversive and terrorist activities" along with any form of foreign interference in Hong Kong.
The NPC is expected to vote on the bill at the end of the annual session, which began earlier on Friday and is likely to wrap up on May 28.
Violent protests swiped Hong Kong almost a year ago, in June. Numerous demonstrators initially took to the streets to protest a proposed extradition bill, but riots continued and became violent even after the unpopular measure was withdrawn in October. Beijing has said that the situation in Hong Kong was the result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expressed full support for the local authorities to avert violence and restore order.
