环球邮报的报道：
The Canadian government doubled down on criticism of China’s landmark crackdown on Hong Kong, even as an extradition case setback for a Chinese executive in a British Columbia court further inflamed relations with Beijing.
Canada, in a joint statement with the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, three of this country’s closest allies, accused China of jeopardizing international co-operation during the COVID-19 pandemic by announcing a new security law it will impose on the former British colony.
They also said the legislation “raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes,” meaning it could be used as a tool to persecute those who question Beijing’s authority.
Beijing has signalled it plans to enact a law that would make it illegal to undermine its authority in Hong Kong, a move it says is aimed at tackling secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.
Canada and its allies say Beijing is shirking its responsibilities under a 1984 treaty in a manner that will “dramatically erode” the freedom promised Hong Kong and deepen huge divisions in the territory that have fed nearly a year of intense protests.
“The world’s focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international co-operation. Beijing’s unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect,” the four countries said.
They also warn Beijing’s action threatens to destroy the freedoms that fuelled Hong Kong’s growth.
“Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and longstanding stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities, rather than through Hong Kong’s own institutions as provided for under Article 23 of the Basic Law, would curtail the Hong Kong people’s liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode the autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous.”
The statement is the strongest criticism to date from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, which is often cautious when speaking about China. Beijing locked up two Canadian citizens in retaliation for the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on an extradition request from the United States and imposed punitive measures on Canadian farm goods.
It comes out as anger is building in China over the fate of Ms. Meng.
On Wednesday, Ms. Meng lost a legal bid to cut short the extradition process in Canada when a judge ruled the case can proceed – a judgment that drew harsh criticism from the Chinese government. Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa called Canada an “accomplice” of the U.S. government and the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper said the ruling reflected the fact that Ottawa has surrendered its judicial independence to Washington.
In Thursday’s Hong Kong statement, Canada and its allies said China’s proposed national security law breaches the United Nations-registered agreement it signed with the U.K. to allow Hong Kong’s capitalist system and freedoms to continue for 50 years after the 1997 handover.
“China’s proposals for a new national security law for Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration,” the countries said.
“The proposed law would undermine the One Country, Two Systems framework. It also raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people – including those set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” they said.
The joint statement was issued by Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne.
Under the terms of the handover of Hong Kong to China by Britain in 1997, Beijing pledged the territory could maintain some of the freedoms of Western democracies, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary, for 50 years.
Human-rights advocates and other countries have accused Beijing of encroaching on Hong Kong's autonomy in the past half decade. Mass protests began in mid-2019 over proposed legislative changes that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
These protests evolved into demands for greater democracy and autonomy in the face of Beijing’s increasing encroachment on the freedoms it had once guaranteed to the city. They dwindled during the COVID-19 pandemic but flared up again this week.
www.theglobeandmail.com
The Canadian government doubled down on criticism of China’s landmark crackdown on Hong Kong, even as an extradition case setback for a Chinese executive in a British Columbia court further inflamed relations with Beijing.
Canada, in a joint statement with the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, three of this country’s closest allies, accused China of jeopardizing international co-operation during the COVID-19 pandemic by announcing a new security law it will impose on the former British colony.
They also said the legislation “raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes,” meaning it could be used as a tool to persecute those who question Beijing’s authority.
Beijing has signalled it plans to enact a law that would make it illegal to undermine its authority in Hong Kong, a move it says is aimed at tackling secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.
Canada and its allies say Beijing is shirking its responsibilities under a 1984 treaty in a manner that will “dramatically erode” the freedom promised Hong Kong and deepen huge divisions in the territory that have fed nearly a year of intense protests.
“The world’s focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international co-operation. Beijing’s unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect,” the four countries said.
They also warn Beijing’s action threatens to destroy the freedoms that fuelled Hong Kong’s growth.
“Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and longstanding stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the Beijing authorities, rather than through Hong Kong’s own institutions as provided for under Article 23 of the Basic Law, would curtail the Hong Kong people’s liberties, and in doing so, dramatically erode the autonomy and the system that made it so prosperous.”
The statement is the strongest criticism to date from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, which is often cautious when speaking about China. Beijing locked up two Canadian citizens in retaliation for the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on an extradition request from the United States and imposed punitive measures on Canadian farm goods.
It comes out as anger is building in China over the fate of Ms. Meng.
On Wednesday, Ms. Meng lost a legal bid to cut short the extradition process in Canada when a judge ruled the case can proceed – a judgment that drew harsh criticism from the Chinese government. Beijing’s embassy in Ottawa called Canada an “accomplice” of the U.S. government and the Chinese Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper said the ruling reflected the fact that Ottawa has surrendered its judicial independence to Washington.
In Thursday’s Hong Kong statement, Canada and its allies said China’s proposed national security law breaches the United Nations-registered agreement it signed with the U.K. to allow Hong Kong’s capitalist system and freedoms to continue for 50 years after the 1997 handover.
“China’s proposals for a new national security law for Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration,” the countries said.
“The proposed law would undermine the One Country, Two Systems framework. It also raises the prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes, and undermines existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people – including those set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” they said.
The joint statement was issued by Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Australian Foreign Minister, Marise Payne.
Under the terms of the handover of Hong Kong to China by Britain in 1997, Beijing pledged the territory could maintain some of the freedoms of Western democracies, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary, for 50 years.
Human-rights advocates and other countries have accused Beijing of encroaching on Hong Kong's autonomy in the past half decade. Mass protests began in mid-2019 over proposed legislative changes that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
These protests evolved into demands for greater democracy and autonomy in the face of Beijing’s increasing encroachment on the freedoms it had once guaranteed to the city. They dwindled during the COVID-19 pandemic but flared up again this week.
Canada and its allies condemn China’s Hong Kong crackdown as tool for political persecution
Beijing’s national security law breaches the agreement it signed with the U.K. to allow Hong Kong’s capitalist system and freedoms to continue for 50 years after the 1997 handover
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