Governments and officials around the world have condemned the Hong Kong government’s decision to delay an upcoming election, saying it was Beijing’s latest affront on…
Governments and officials around the world have condemned the Hong Kong government’s decision to delay an upcoming election, saying it was Beijing’s latest affront on the city’s freedoms.
“The world has watched the Chinese Communist Party’s continued, escalating assault on Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told The Epoch Times in a July 31 email.
On Friday, Hong Kong’s top official Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the decision to postpone the September Legislative Council election by one year, citing a surge in local virus cases. Hong Kong has recorded triple-digit increases in COVID-19 cases for the tenth day straight, with 121 new cases recorded on Friday.
Rubio said Beijing was exploiting the virus pandemic to “remake Hong Kong in its image” and that “Hongkongers’ political freedoms are being crushed daily.”
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, at a Friday press conference, condemned the election postponement, saying the action “undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong’s prosperity,” and is “only the most recent in a growing list of broken promises by Beijing.
