Speech from the European Parliament Debate on Article 23

This speech is from a press conference that took place before Members of European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution, calling on the Hong Kong authorities to respect freedoms in Hong Kong and uphold the “One Country, Two Systems” agreement. The resolution was passed by a margin of 59 to 1, with 1 abstention. To read the full resolution, please see www.clearharmony.net/articles/200212/8982.html.

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Mr. Belder MEP (EDD.) – “Chairman - “One Country, Two Systems”: it sounds almost to good to be true for Hong Kong. Article 23 of the Basic Law forms a potential time bomb underneath it anyway because this article asks that laws are worked out for fighting a whole range of serious crimes against the government of the People’s Republic of China. At a most inconvenient point of time the authorities of Hong Kong have taken on a non-transparent implementation of this so controversial article. Beginning this week the Hong Kong residents therefore came out in masses. Does Beijing at this time really have to fear treason, subversion, revolt, undermining activities, theft of state secrets or dangerous foreign political activities and connections in regard to Hong Kong? No! The Chinese authorities, however, push strongly on the execution of article 23. Note, an article that only gained its form after the Tiananmen massacre in Beijing, Article 23 therefore reflects the Chinese communist paranoia of then and now. Likewise, the fear of Hong Kong’s citizens of then and now. Chairman, while Hong Kong is going through a difficult economic period, Beijing adds ill-fated political insecurity. The negative reaction of even the business class in Hong Kong speaks for itself. It reflects a broad civil discontent about a diffuse consultation process about the legal execution of article 23. What lacks is the publication of the exact law proposals. There the Council and Commission need to address Hong Kong and Beijing rapidly because the European Union wishes for sure to keep up the principle of “one country, two systems” for Hong Kong.”

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanmingeurope.net/articles/200212/15639.html