ALDE Party President, Hans van Baalen co-signs the statement, issued on 1 June 2020, which decries the position of Beijing and the authoritarian breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Last week, Chinese authorities passed a new security law, which affects the liberties of the people in Hong Kong. Following different anti-China protests, Beijing responded with an immediate and strong legislative act, which aims to strengthen its grip on the city.

This security law was passed in the 13^th National People’s Congress and limits the freedom of expression and right to protest in the city of Hong Kong. This breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law signed in December 1984.

ALDE Vice-Presidents Baroness Sal Brinton and Ilhan Kyuchyuk together with Jacques Maire (ALDE PACE) and policy makers from around the world have signed this joint statement that condemns the breach of Hong Kong’s political independence. It cannot be tolerated that Beijing dismantles the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Model overnight.

Almost 800 signatories from 38 countries, including members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, House of Commons and House of Lords in the United Kingdom, as well as many members of the European Parliament and parliamentarians throughout the European Union call upon China to respect its international obligations and the rights of the people of Hong Kong.

The Chinese security law violates 1997 Sino-British Agreement and Hong Kong Basic Law. #EU 🇪🇺 and its Member States can not be silent and should not exclude sanctions. This is not an internal Chinese matter! 🇨🇳 https://t.co/qfgGusg69A

— Hans van Baalen (@hansvanbaalen) June 2, 2020