While the US and some EU nations stand firmly against China’s security laws against Hong Kong, most Asian nations including India would overlook Beijing’s new security laws as it is an internal matter of China.
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As soon as China’s parliament drafted the controversial laws in the name of National Security to crush Hong Kong autonomous status, the US and some EU countries expressed their fury over Beijing’s decision.
Recently, when the law was passed, international criticism soared high with the US threatening China and Hong Kong with sanctions and Donald Trump even calling to ‘cut all ties’ with Beijing.
Amid this hostile move by Beijing to strike off the historic “one country, two systems” framework, the South-East Asian nations which are geographically and culturally close to Hong Kong, have chosen to be close-mouthed and “see Beijing’s position on Hong Kong as part of its internal affairs,” said global analysts talking to SCMP.
The West On Hong Kong Crisis
The already tense relations between US and China due to the trade war suffered a major blow with the Covid-19 pandemic, as Washington directly blamed Beijing for spreading coronavirus and not sharing timely information to contain the virus which claimed over 100,000 American lives.
The US President has announced new policies on China that are to be made public later this week., but did mention – “we are not happy with China. We are not happy with what’s happened.”
Apart from America, the UK which ruled over Hong Kong till 1997, Australia and Canada have also expressed their “deep concern” for Hong Kong.
As EurAsian Times had previously reported, the former Hong Kong Governor Christopher Patten and former British Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind had drafted a statement which read “if the international community cannot trust Beijing to keep its word when it comes to Hong Kong, people will be reluctant to take its word on other matters.”
Seven of the former foreign secretaries had also urged the British PM Boris Johnson to take action against China over the national security law.
More recently, Britain’s foreign minister had stated – “If China follows through with this national security legislation, we will give those people who hold BNO passports (British National Overseas’ passports) the right to come to the UK.”
The ASEAN Response To Hong Kong Crisis
The ASEAN governments have been silent spectators to China’s actions of curtailing the freedom of Hong Kong. Experts talking to EurAsian Times mention that ASEAN nations seems to have no intention to target or even critisize China over Hong Kong.
“ASEAN is not likely to follow Washington’s template for responding to developments in Hong Kong,” commented Joseph Liow Chin Yong, an expert on Asia-Pacific geopolitics at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
“They will be more concerned about Washington’s actions and the subsequent reactions from Beijing, rather than the national security law for Hong Kong,” said Dylan Loh, an assistant professor of public policy and global affairs at NTU.
Indian Response To Hong Kong Crisis
Apart from the ASEAN nations, India, an immediate neighbour of China, has yet not challenged Beijing’s decision on Hong Kong. New Delhi and Beijing are already engaged in a massive border dispute in the Ladakh region where both – the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army stand eye to eye in a fierce military standoff.
Indian foreign policy expert Sinderpal Singh had stated – “I think India won’t go along with US sanctions because of the need to respect non-interference’s.” Singh explains further that India has not been known to interfere in the domestic politics of other nations and asks that, “If America imposes sanctions on China, do Indians then follow the US or not?”
Experts state that when the India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, international criticism and human rights condemnations touched new skies, however China opted to avoid saying anything ‘highly objectionable’ even though China shared robust ties with Pakistan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying in a written response on Delhi’s move to revoke Article 370, had stated — “China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir… China’s position on the Kashmir issue is clear and consistent. This issue is a legacy of history between India and Pakistan, which is also the consensus of the international community.”
Singh mentioned that “there’s an understanding between India and China where Beijing will not publicly say anything objectionable about the Kashmir and India would reciprocate by not commenting on Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.”
