The White House condemned the decision by Hong Kong’s Chinese-backed authorities to delay September’s election, saying it was the latest in a string of attempts to stifle the former British colony’s autonomy.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also condemned the way a dozen pro-democracy activists had been barred from standing for election.
“This action undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong’s prosperity,” she told reporters. “This is only the most recent in a growing list of broken promises by Beijing, which promised autonomy and freedom to the Hong Kong people until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
But coming only a day after President Trump floated the idea of delaying the United States’s November election, her words immediately provoked a backlash as commentators questioned whether the Trump administration had the moral authority to weigh in.
Howard French, author of several books on China, responded with a simple “Lololol” on Twitter.
Officials in Hong Kong said the one-year delay was necessary because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said, “We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong. Such flow of people would cause high risk of infection.”
Pro-democracy campaigners had hoped to use the election to make gains by capitalizing on months of protests against a national security law that tightened Beijing’s grip on the territory.
“Incumbent pro-democracy legislators, who represent 60% of the public’s opinion, collectively oppose the postponement and emphasize the responsibility of the SAR government to make every effort to arrange adequate anti-epidemic measures to hold elections in September as scheduled,” said a group of 22 lawmakers, referring to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, as the territory is officially known.
