Pro-democracy activists arrest in Hong Kong is ‘bad example’ of erosion of city’s independence: Champagne – By Ryan Tumilty (National Post) / January 6 2021
He said he had been speaking with allies about what should happen next, but was non-committal. He also did not announce any new sanctions or other measures in response
OTTAWA – Dozens of democracy activists in Hong Kong were arrested Wednesday, as China moves to further erode the independent status of the city.
“it’s much more than just a crackdown on democracy. It’s actually a crackdown on how we perceive Hong Kong,” said Cherie Wong, executive director of the Alliance Canada Hong Kong. She said if China wasn’t challenged soon, Hong Kong would just be another city in the country without any of the freedoms people there enjoy.
Canada’s foreign minister, François-Philippe Champagne, said the news was troubling and not in the spirit of the treaty that promised Hong Kong autonomy when it became part of China.
“It is very concerning and to me it is yet another bad example of the further erosion of the one country, two systems.”
Champagne touted Canada’s previous actions on the file, including ending the extradition treaty and restricting imports to Hong Kong. He did not announce any new sanctions or other measures in response to the arrest. He said he had been speaking with allies about what should happen next, but was non-committal.
