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Hong Kong democracy activists have warned the EU not to ratify its planned new investment deal with China at a time when Beijing is breaking international obligations to the Hong Kong people.
The 24 activists, including 13 in exile, have written to the president of the EU commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asking the EU to refuse to sign the treaty until China’s national security laws are repealed. and restrictions on who can stand for election be lifted. .
The letter comes as the EU prepares to try to sell its deal reached late last year in the face of intense skepticism within the European Parliament. MEPs must ratify the agreement before it can enter into force.
That task won’t be any easier if China’s National People’s Congress unanimously votes to ban an overnight abstention to back changes to Hong Kong’s electoral laws to ensure that only patriots can stand.
The United States has expressed regret over the EU decision, and exiles in Hong Kong say the EU is being naive in relying on China’s commitments on labor rights and defrauding those prepared to fight authoritarianism by backing the agreement.
The activists write: “As Beijing is in the process of rewriting Hong Kong’s electoral system in direct contravention of its international obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, it is currently carrying out mass arrests and trials of legislators and pro-democracy activists under the draconian government National Security Law, and is infringing the basic freedoms guaranteed by both the Basic Law and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, we do not see how the EU can move forward with the ratification of this investment treaty ”.
The letter, provided by Hong Kong Watch, is jointly signed by prominent activists such as Ted Hui, Lam Wing-kee, Brian Leung, Nathan Law, Joe Tay, Ray Wong, Glacier Kwong, Finn Lau, Simon Cheng and Joey Siu.
He adds: “It is simply absurd for the EU to expect China to fulfill its obligations under a new bilateral investment treaty, when it is openly floating its current obligations to the international community to guarantee the autonomy and freedoms of the Hong Kong people. “
The letter is likely to be powerful ammunition for the large group of MEPs who are determined to resist the investment treaty. They warn that if European leaders do not show a moral backbone and instead sign the treaty, they will send a signal to China that there are no red lines, even on Taiwan’s future.
Activists argue that the EU will never have more influence over China than now, and it is not good enough to simply rely on China’s promises to make efforts to sign up to ILO commitments to avoid the use of forced labor.
Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong Democratic lawmaker, now in Australia, said: “Members of the European Parliament, European leaders and EU commissioners must examine their consciences and wonder whether the last weeks of oppression in Hong Kong will continue if Are you going ahead with the ratification of the EU-China investment partnership? “
Joey Siu, a Hong Kong activist in exile and Hong Kong Watch associate, said: “The timing of the CAI, months after the National Security Law was passed, sent a terrible diplomatic message. He sent a message to Beijing that the EU would not sacrifice commercial interests, no matter how they act, and communicated to Hong Kong people that the EU is indifferent to our fight for freedom. “
Ray Wong, the first Hong Kong refugee to receive asylum in Germany, said: “In Hong Kong, we have experienced first-hand that the CCP is unwilling to keep its word. While Australians are being punished with tariffs for defending democracy, the EU is going ahead with CAI. The agreement will weaken the bloc’s ability to take a principled position in solidarity with the Hong Kong people and Uighurs facing oppression. “
Many MEPs say the EU is in a fully compromised position as it advocates for closer economic ties with China while also issuing statements condemning changes to the electoral law and promising to be ready to take further action.
The commission says the deal, which has been in the works for years, improves market access for EU companies, protects intellectual property and provides levers to make human rights demands. They argue that it is unrealistic for the EU to decouple economically from China, and if compromise is the only option, it is better to compete on more equitable terms than China currently allows.
