Hungary has blocked a European Union statement criticizing China’s new security law in Hong Kong, two diplomats said, to the extent that it could undermine efforts to address Beijing’s curtailment of freedoms. ‘former British colony.
The EU, which aims to support Britain and the United States in defending human rights in Hong Kong, was due to make its statement on Monday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, but did not reach the necessary agreement of the 27 EU states.
“Hungary’s argument was that the EU already has too many problems with China,” a senior EU diplomat told Reuters. A second senior diplomat confirmed Hungary’s blockade and position. An EU official said the statement had been withdrawn from the EU approval process.
On March 22, China and the EU imposed sanctions on Western allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Hungarian diplomats in Brussels were not immediately available for comment. Budapest reluctantly backed EU sanctions last month, calling them “useless”, and welcomed China’s defense minister for an official visit days after the EU sanctions decision.
Hungary is a major recipient of Chinese investment. In the past, both Hungary and Greece, where China’s COSCO Shipping has a majority stake in Greece’s largest port, have blocked EU statements about China.
This week, Beijing’s top representative in Hong Kong warned foreign powers that they would be taught a lesson if they tried to interfere in the management of China’s global financial center, as tensions rose between China and governments. western over the city. Read more
The West says Hong Kong’s new security law has broken its promise to maintain a high degree of city autonomy since its return to the Chinese government in 1997. Chinese supporters say the law has restored order after of mass protests against the government and against China in 2019.
One diplomat said the impasse is the latest blow to the EU’s credentials as a human rights defender and raises questions about the EU’s “soft power”, which is based on inspiring countries to pursue his example by outlawing the death penalty and defending press freedoms.
It also underlines the EU’s challenge to balance trade ties with China, its second largest trading partner, and its ability to protest against Chinese government crackdowns in Hong Kong on human rights lawyers since of 2015 and on Muslim Uighurs in northwestern China.
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