BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2020) The Hong Kong government's decision to postpone the region's parliamentary elections over the pandemic complies with world practice, is legal and reasonable, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday, adding that no country has the right to interfere.
Last week, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the postponement of the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the special administrative region from September 6 of this year to September 5, 2021, due to the worsening epidemiological situation. The term of the current parliament expires on September 30 this year. Beijing has supported this decision.
"Having faced a difficult epidemiological situation, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government decided to postpone the legislative elections, which is a legitimate move to ensure the protection of the lives and health of Hong Kong residents," Wang said at a briefing.
The diplomat also said that the decision was necessary to ensure the security, fairness and impartiality of the elections.
"There are enough precedents of elections postponement due to the epidemic across the world, the decision of the Hong Kong government is consistent with this widespread practice, it is legal, fair and reasonable," Wang added.
Since Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, its legislative elections are an exclusively domestic affair of China, the spokesman added, noting that "no foreign state, organization or individual has any right and reason to interfere."
Over the recent weeks, the epidemiological situation in Hong Kong has significantly deteriorated, with the number of cases growing every day. In total, 3,511 cases of infection have been detected in Hong Kong since the start of the outbreak, including 35 fatalities and 1,959 recoveries. Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the Hong Kong government banned public gatherings of more than two people starting July 29.
