London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Hong Kong slams EU’s ‘unfounded’ claims Beijing breaching treaty commitments

Hong Kong slams EU’s ‘unfounded’ claims Beijing breaching treaty commitments

European Union is using Hong Kong issues as pretext to attack the Asian giant, government says in defence of political system overhaul.

Hong Kong has rejected the European Union’s “unfounded” allegations that Beijing has breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration by overhauling the financial hub’s electoral system and installing a national security law.

The government also accused Brussels of using Hong Kong issues as a pretext to attack Beijing and defended the security law as helping to restore stability after the 2019 social unrest.

The strongly worded rebuke released late on Thursday came just hours after the EU said the city’s electoral overhaul ran “counter to the commitments to greater democratic representation enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law”, as well as “another breach of the one country, two systems principle”.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said the changes to Hong Kong over the past year were a source of concern for the bloc.


EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Beijing’s changes to Hong Kong over the past year “contradict China’s international commitments under the [declaration] … and have a negative impact on the EU’s legitimate expectations and interests”.

The declaration that Britain and Beijing signed in 1984 laid the groundwork for the city’s handover from the colonial power to China in 1997. It stated that the basic policies regarding Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years, including the promise the city would retain a high degree of autonomy.

Borrell said the EU would increase support for Hong Kong’s civil society and media, promote freedom of expression and facilitate the mobility of its residents, as well as ensure monitoring of the trials of opposition figures.

A delegation of high-level officials from the bloc would consider visiting the city given the deep concerns over the changes, he added.

In response, the Hong Kong government said it firmly opposed the “misleading claims by the EU concerning the improvement to the electoral system as well as their ulterior motives”.

“We stress that the improvement to the electoral system … is both timely and necessary, as anti-China forces had created chaos in the Legislative Council, paralysed the operation of the [Hong Kong] government, and even colluded with external forces to undermine Hong Kong’s safety and interests,” a spokesman said.

“No country or government could turn a blind eye to such dangers. The government is committed to ensuring elections being conducted in a fair, just and open manner.”

The EU was attacking China “by creating issues in [Hong Kong] using the pretext of human rights, democracy and autonomy”, he claimed.

The government also challenged the bloc’s accusation that the one country, two systems formula that governed the city’s relationship with Beijing was being undermined.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had stressed the central government would “unswervingly implement the policy … and ensure that it is fully applied in Hong Kong without being bent or distorted”, he said.

The introduction of the security law in June of last year had allowed stability to be restored to society and for national security to be safeguarded, while the arrests of opposition figures were unrelated to their political stance, background or occupation, he maintained.

“It would be contrary to the rule of law to suggest that people of certain political backgrounds could be above the law,” he said. “The international community should fully acknowledge this fact and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are internal affairs of China.”

The Chinese mission to the EU had earlier expressed similar dissatisfaction with the bloc’s views on Hong Kong affairs.

The electoral reforms, which aim to ensure “patriots” govern Hong Kong, were endorsed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee in March.

Legco last month voted to adopt the changes that will see the proportion of directly elected seats in the legislature reduced and a new body created to vet candidates and bar those deemed not patriotic enough from seeking seats.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×