Alliance demands China respects Hong Kong

Australia has banded together with three of its Five Eyes security partners to demand China ­respect the freedoms of Hong Kongers.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong holds up a bail document after being arrested in Hong Kong in September for unlawful assembly. Picture: AFP

Australia has banded together with three of its Five Eyes security partners to demand China respect the freedoms of Hong Kongers, in a joint statement attempting to ensure Beijing can’t single out the Morrison government for punishment.

Government sources confirmed the show of diplomatic force, made days after the arrests of 55 politicians and activists in Hong Kong, was designed to make clear that China’s aggressive actions there following the passage of a new security law were a global concern. There would be more joint statements in the months ahead when people’s freedoms and rights were under threat.

Analysts said it would enforce the message that Australia was not acting alone. Foreign ministers Marise Payne, Francois-Philippe Champagne (Canada), Dominic Raab (UK) and US secretary of State Mike Pompeo ­expressed their “serious concern” at the mass arrests in Hong Kong for subversion under the national security law.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: Sean Davey.

“We call on the Hong Kong and Chinese central authorities to respect the legally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong without fear ­­­of ­arrest and detention,” they said.

“It is crucial that the postponed Legislative Council elections in September proceed in a fair way that includes candidates representing a range of political opinions.

“The national security law is a clear breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and undermines the ‘one country, two systems’ framework. It has curtailed the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. It is clear that the national security law is being used to eliminate dissent and opposing political views.”

The Chinese embassy in Canberra did not respond to the comments.

There have been several joint statements issued by Five Eyes countries concerning Hong Kong in recent months but in this latest rebuke New Zealand remained mute. A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the country had “serious concerns” about the situation in Hong Kong. While it would make joint comments with allies, on this occasion Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta responded independently last week.

The Australian understands there was a delay in issuing the joint statement following 72 hours of diplomatic exchanges between all five partners resulting in just the quadrilateral statement.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said coalition approaches to dealing with China were valuable and sent a message to Beijing that when it went after a country like Australia it was attacking democracies more broadly. “It’s welcome because it means we’re resisting being picked apart and dealt with individually,” Mr Jennings said.

“If there’s something that shows there’s a coalition building around the world to show China’s actions are absolutely unacceptable, that might have more impact in shaping Beijing’s behaviour.”

China’s communist regime has slapped punitive tariffs or banned a range of Australian products from barley, timber and beef to wine and seafood, leading new Trade Minister Dan Tehan to make securing an Australia-India free-trade agreement one of his top priorities.

Mr Pompeo last year said the US would stand with Australia as China imposed the trade sanctions in response to Scott Morrison’s calls for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

Outgoing US ambassador Arthur Culvahouse said America, Australia and like-minded democracies needed to work together on supply chains that don’t rely on China, and that Beijing’s treatment of Australia had opened the eyes of the world to Chinese coercion.

New Zealand has a significant trade surplus with China and has been occasionally hesitant to criticise its major trading partner despite China’s flexing of its muscles under President Xi Jinping. In recent years New Zealand’s approach has been softer than Australia’s towards China’s rising aid and militarisation in the Pacific and the status of Taiwan.

Last year, New Zealand’s Winston Peters also preferred to emphasise support for the “one country, two systems” framework in Hong Kong, rather than directly criticising the new security law being in direct conflict with China’s international obligations.

Last November, the Five Eyes partners — including New Zealand — were admonished by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian for expressing “serious concern” when four opposition MPs were expelled from the Hong Kong parliament. “No matter if they have five eyes or 10 eyes, if they dare to harm China’s sovereignty, security and development interests they should beware of their eyes being poked and blinded,” he had warned.

This united Five Eyes front to promote international law has gathered steam since 2018 and centred on Hong Kong in particular, but the alliance has also embraced global issues such as cyber security. Sources have told The Australian that the Hong Kong response was “very much separate” to the trade imbroglio Australia faces with China.

But the broadened approach among the like-minded allies comes as the 55 activists and politicians were arrested in dawn raids last week and face life sentences for plotting to “paralyse” and “overthrow” the government.

The crackdown on any opposition has intensified since the security law was introduced. “These arrests demonstrate that the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities deliberately misled the world about the true purpose of the National Security Law, which is being used to crush dissent and opposing political views,” UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.