Foreign media see Hong Kong postponed elections Bloomberg article: Hong Kong government chooses "zero risk" but there will be a price

Foreign Media Digest

Author: Cheng Yihua

2020-08-01 16:49

On July 31, the Hong Kong government postponed the election of the Legislative Council originally scheduled for September by one year on the grounds of the epidemic. This attracted responses from the United States, Britain and other governments, and the White House even condemned it. In terms of public opinion, a commentary published by Bloomberg described Hong Kong as having selected the "zero risk" option, but the Hong Kong government refused to accept the possibility of an embarrassing election situation, which would have to pay a price.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (left) announced on July 31 that the legislative council election was postponed for one year due to the severe epidemic (Getty)

The Hong Kong issue continues to attract attention. In addition to the White House's repeated criticisms of China, the Democratic camp has also made a statement. Presidential candidate Joe Biden's senior foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken warned on July 31. Said that China, which has become bolder, has found that it has tightened its control over Hong Kong without being held accountable, and may seek to change the status quo in Taiwan next. As for public opinion, the comments of many foreign media are as follows:

Bloomberg article: Hong Kong chooses "zero risk"

A Bloomberg review article published on August 1 held that Hong Kong rejected more than 10 pro-democrats from running for the election and then postponed the election for one year, which would not unscathed the economic prospects. The article described the incident as an obvious reminder of how elections are a threat to an authoritarian government, even if the system has been biased towards the government. The article also mentioned that the Hong Kong government is unwilling to take risks. Officials have gone to the other extreme and disqualified candidates from moderate opposition groups, such as incumbent members of the accounting profession. This is hardly a hotbed of radicalism.

The article published by Bloomberg believes that Hong Kong has chosen the "zero risk" option (website screenshot)

The Guardian: Political cleansing of opposition may mean the end of democracy

An article in the British "Guardian" on July 31 commented on the incident of 12 pro-democracy candidates from the "DQ" of the Hong Kong government. The article was entitled "Political cleansing of the Hong Kong opposition or the end of democracy". The content mentioned that this decision shows However, even mild objections are not allowed. In the past, more radical candidates were disqualified, but the latest ruling shows that those in power even want to eliminate moderate objectors from the power chamber.

🔻Click on the pictures to learn about the candidates who were DQ this time🔻

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"Washington Post": Further erosion of political freedom

The Washington Post described in its August 1 report that the postponement of the election by the Hong Kong government closed one of the few remaining discussion venues for Hong Kong voters to express their opinions. Possibly a blow to China, this shocking measure has curbed Hong Kong’s political freedom.

"Newsweek" does not forget to mention Trump first

Newsweek's report on Hong Kong's postponement of the Legislative Council election did not forget to mention first that US President Trump (Donald Trump) proposed to postpone the election the day before. The article also mentioned that pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong had a big victory in the 2019 District Council elections. Some people hope that this September will achieve the same ideal results and put pressure on the Chinese and Hong Kong governments.

[Legislative Council Election] Britain calls on Beijing not to further damage Hong Kong's autonomy with the epidemic

[Legislative Council Election] The White House condemns the Hong Kong government’s postponement of its decision and criticizes China for continuously undermining its commitments to Hong Kong

[Legislative Council Election] 68 legislators from multiple countries jointly declared that the DQ incident was unacceptable

[Legislative Council Election] The British Foreign Office responds to the DQ incident, saying that the integrity of one country, two systems is damaged

Chinese and British foreign ministers call Lan Taowen: Britain closely monitors the September Legislative Council elections

Legislative Council election Legislative Council election 2020 pan-democratic Trump