Mike Pompeo congratulated Hong Kong pan-Democrats on successful primary (File)
Washington:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for free elections in Hong Kong after China said that the primaries of pro-democracy parties had broken a strict new security law.
“Congratulations to the Hong Kong pan-Democrats on a successful primary. The Legislative Council elections in September should be just as free and fair,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
In an accompanying statement, Pompeo said that the participation of more than 600,000 Hong Kongers in the primary demonstrated “their desire to make their voices heard in the face of the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party to stifle the freedoms of the territory”.
The liaison office, which represents the Chinese government in the semi-autonomous city, called the primary “a serious provocation against the current electoral system”.
Pompeo, in the statement, expressed “deep concern” over the threat, saying it showed “the fear of the Chinese Communist Party for democracy and the free thought of its own people.”
China has imposed a law that criminalizes subversion and other perceived crimes, sending a thrill to the city that promised a separate system before Britain returned to control in 1997.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
