Patten pushes May to fight for Chow
Top News | Phoenix Un 31 Jan 2018
The British and European governments yesterday came out swinging against the disqualification of Agnes Chow Ting for the Hong Kong Island by-election.
Former governor Chris Patten led the charge by urging British Premier Theresa May to challenge Beijing when she travels to China this week.
May arrives in the capital today for a three-day visit in which she will also travel to Wuhan and Shanghai. She will meet President Xi Jinping, business leaders and students.
May is leading the largest British trade delegation to China, comprising 50 business leaders. North Korea and climate change are topics likely to be discussed.
The European Union also warned that the disqualification of Chow "risks diminishing Hong Kong's international reputation as a free and open society."
The protection of civil and political rights in Hong Kong is an essential part of the implementation of the one country, two systems principle, an EU spokesman said. "Barring candidates from standing for election because of their political beliefs is in contradiction to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."
But Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said foreign politicians do not understand Hong Kong's constitutional status as a special administrative region.
Patten and former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, in a letter to May, said: "In the past five years, Hong Kong has seen increasing threats to basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy, which were promised at the handover just over 20 years ago."
They also cited the case of Benedict Rogers, deputy chair of the Conservative Party's human rights commission, who was denied entry to Hong Kong last October, believing that it was "on the orders of Beijing."
They slammed Lam for describing Ashdown's concern for the incident as "foreign meddling," which "further undermines confidence in Hong Kong's autonomy and disrespects the joint declaration under which Britain has an obligation to monitor the protection of Hong Kong's freedoms."
A spokesman for May said it is important that Hong Kong's rights and freedoms are respected.
The protection of civil and political rights in Hong Kong is an essential part of the implementation of the one country, two systems principle, the spokesman said.
But Lam, speaking before yesterday's Executive Council meeting, hit back by saying the critics lack an understanding of Hong Kong. She added: "The disqualification of Chow is not - as some overseas groups have said - depriving citizens of their right to be elected because of their political affiliation.
"Ideologies won't meet legal requirements if they are proven to be breaching the Basic Law, inconsistent with the one country, two systems, or even advocating independence or autonomy, or making independence or autonomy proper options."
She believed foreigners should study the issue before criticizing. "Foreign institutes and politicians don't understand [Hong Kong's] situation and constitutional status well, and they should learn more."
Central government liaison office director Wang Zhimin said in a Chinese-language magazine: "We endorse the chief executive and the SAR government in protecting the country's sovereignty, security and development interest, by establishing and reinforcing the relevant mechanisms and smashing 'Hong Kong independence' advocacy."
phoenix.un@singtaonewscorp.com
