Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The G7 foreign ministers rejected the outcome of the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections, which took place on 19 December 2021and expressed grave concern “over the erosion of democratic elements of the Region’s electoral system.”

A statement issued jointly by the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, said that the package of changes to the electoral system introduced earlier this year in Hong Kong, including reduction of the number of directly elected seats and establishment of a new vetting process to restrict the choice of candidates on the ballot paper severely, undermined Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.

“We strongly reiterate our call on China to act in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its other legal obligations and respect fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, as provided for in the Basic Law, the statement said. “We also call on China and the Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kong’s political institutions and end the unwarranted oppression of those who promote democratic values and the defense of rights and freedoms.

Pro-main land China candidates made a landslide victory in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election, as the city saw its lowest-ever voter turnout. It was the first election since China made sweeping and controversial changes to the city’s electoral system “to ensure stability,” while the opposition to that accused the Chinese authorities of being anti-democratic.