The Group of Seven countries have attempted to press China into changing its mind on imposing its national security law on Hong Kong, which they view as Beijing stripping the city of its Western-backed autonomy.
The foreign ministers of G7 on Wednesday expressed their “grave concern” about China’s move. The statement insisted that the change contradicts local laws, international treaties and a UN declaration.
The mass protests in Hong Kong broke out a year ago and were triggered by an extradition bill, which would have allowed criminal suspects to be transferred to mainland China for trial. Many of the locals saw it as an attempt by Beijing to infringe upon the region’s autonomy and target dissidents.
While the authorities in the former British colony have formally withdrawn the legislation, that wasn’t enough for the demonstrators, who expanded their demands all the way down to cutting ties with mainland China completely. They received full backing from the US, UK and their allies, despite often turning to violence and targeting not just the police, but fellow citizens who disagreed with their views.
London has been insisting that Beijing’s actions go against the “one country, two systems” formula that has governed Hong Kong since its return to China in 1997. The US went even further and adopted the ‘Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act,’ which allowed it to sanction Chinese officials.
Beijing has been strongly condemning the unrest in Hong Kong, while also brushing off the moves by the UK and the US as interference in China’s internal affairs.
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