Labor is deeply disappointed and concerned by Hong Kong’s Legislative Council elections.

Mainland authorities only permitted ‘patriots’ to stand for office, reduced the proportion of lawmakers to be directly voted into office from 50 per cent to 22 per cent, and subjected all candidates to strict screening measures.

This follows the imposition of the National Security Law last year and subsequent crackdown against pro-democracy political figures, including expulsions, arrests and prosecutions under the Law.

Unfortunately, the Legislative Council elections overnight are yet another illustration of the continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic freedoms, as guaranteed in the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, to which China had committed.

This further undermining of Hong Kong’s democracy and the One Country, Two Systems arrangement is not the behaviour of a responsible global power.

Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra.