The Australian government has signed a joint statement issued on behalf of G7 nations condemning Hong Kong for seeking to “silence, intimidate, harass, harm or coerce” pro-democracy campaigners living abroad.
The statement, which was also made on behalf of New Zealand, Sweden and the Netherlands, has described the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for exiled dissidents as acts of “transnational repression” that undermine human rights and state sovereignty.
Late last month, Hong Kong’s national security police issued arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet.
The 19 activists were accused of organising or participating in the Canada-based unofficial Hong Kong Parliament, a pro-democracy group that authorities in the Asian financial hub say intended to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019.
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Among the 19 people is the Australian pro-democracy campaigner Dr Feng Chongyi, who is a professor of China studies at the University of Technology Sydney. Speaking to the ABC in July, Feng described the arrest warrant as “political persecution and violation of basic human rights”.
Two other exiled campaigners in Australia – Adelaide-based Ted Hui and Melbourne-based Kevin Yam – are also subject to arrest warrants and bounties. Earlier this year, anonymous letters and pamphlets were sent to properties in their respective cities offering $203,000 for information on their locations.
The G7’s rapid response mechanism (G7RRM), which was established to help nations “identify and respond to foreign threats to democracies”, said the arrest warrants were punishing people for “exercising their freedom of expression”.
“This form of transnational repression undermines national security, state sovereignty, human rights and the safety of communities,” the statement, first published by Canada, said.
“We encourage individuals to report suspicious activities and any incidents of intimidation, harassment, coercion or threats to their law enforcement authorities in accordance with domestic laws and regulations.
“G7RRM members and associate members are committed to strengthening our efforts to safeguard our sovereignty, to keep our communities safe and to defend individuals from the overreach of governments trying to silence, intimidate, harass or coerce them within our borders.”
When the arrest warrants were made last month, the UK’s foreign and home secretaries issued a joint statement condemning “transnational repression” and said they would “not tolerate attempts by foreign governments” to intimidate their critics in the UK.
In response to the arrests last month, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the British government’s remarks “constitute a gross interference” in China’s internal affairs and the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s controversial national security law grants authorities sweeping extraterritorial powers to prosecute acts or comments made anywhere in the world that it deems criminal.
Critics of the law say Hong Kong is using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly said the law was vital to restoring stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, complained about the targeted intimidation of exiled pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong directly to her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July.
In July 2023, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged Australia, the UK and the US to stop sheltering activists subject to arrest warrants in Hong Kong.
“Relevant countries need to respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong, stop lending support for anti-China elements destabilising Hong Kong, and stop providing a safe haven for fugitives,” she said.
