海角大神

Pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong began resigning Thursday to protest the expulsion of four other lawmakers, heightening a conflict with Beijing over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory鈥檚 future.

Pro-democracy activists say China鈥檚 ruling Communist Party, which has tightened control in Hong Kong in response to demands for more democracy, is destroying the civil liberties and rights that were promised the territory when Britain returned it to China in 1997.

The 15 remaining lawmakers in the pro-democracy bloc said Wednesday they will resign en masse after China鈥檚 central government passed a resolution this week that led to the four lawmakers鈥� disqualification.

The four had urged foreign governments to sanction China and Hong Kong over Beijing鈥檚 crackdown on dissent in the territory. The Communist Party accused them of violating their oaths of office.

Most of the 15 lawmakers did not attend a regular session of the legislature on Thursday, and some later handed in resignation letters at the Legislative Council鈥檚 secretariat.

China sharply criticized the move. Its Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office called the mass resignation 鈥渁n open challenge鈥� to the authority of the central government and the Basic Law, Hong Kong鈥檚 constitution.

鈥淚f these lawmakers hope to use their resignation to provoke opposition and beg for foreign interference, they have miscalculated,鈥� it said in a statement.

Wu Chi-wai, the head of the pro-democracy bloc, said the Chinese and Hong Kong governments were trying to take away the separation of powers in the city, since the ousting of the four lawmakers bypassed the courts.

鈥淲e lost our check-and-balance power, and all the constitutional power in Hong Kong rests in the chief executive鈥檚 hands,鈥� Mr. Wu said.

He said it was the end of the city鈥檚 鈥渙ne country, two systems鈥� framework under which Hong Kong enjoyed autonomy and freedoms not found on the mainland since it was returned to China in 1997.

Claudia Mo, a pro-democracy lawmaker who also handed in her resignation, said: 鈥淲e are quitting the legislature only at this juncture. We鈥檙e not quitting Hong Kong鈥檚 democracy fight.鈥�

Earlier in the day, one of the pro-democracy lawmakers, Lam Cheuk-ting, unfurled a banner from a balcony inside the Legislative Council building saying city leader Carrie Lam had brought disaster to Hong Kong and its people, and that her infamy would last ten thousand years.

The mass departure will leave Hong Kong鈥檚 legislature with just 43 legislators, 41 of whom belong to the pro-Beijing bloc. This means that the legislature could pass bills favored by Beijing with little opposition.

The lawmakers announced their decision to resign hours after the Hong Kong government said it was disqualifying the four legislators 鈥� Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki, and Kenneth Leung.

A resolution passed this week by the Standing Committee of China鈥檚 National People鈥檚 Congress said that any lawmaker who supports Hong Kong鈥檚 independence, refuses to acknowledge China鈥檚 sovereignty over the city, threatens national security, or asks external forces to interfere in the city鈥檚 affairs should be disqualified.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday reiterated Beijing鈥檚 support for Hong Kong鈥檚 government in 鈥渇ulfilling its duty according to the NPC Standing Committee鈥檚 decision.鈥�

鈥淣o country will turn a blind eye to acts of betrayal of the country by public officials, including members of the Legislative Council, who break their oaths of office,鈥� Mr. Wang said at a daily news briefing.

Britain, the United States, Australia, and the European Union denounced China鈥檚 move.

The U.K. summoned China鈥檚 ambassador in London to register 鈥渄eep concern at this latest action by his government,鈥� Foreign Office minister Nigel Adams told lawmakers Thursday.

Mr. Adams said it was 鈥渁nother sad day for the people of Hong Kong鈥� and that the British government has declared it the third breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the territory鈥檚 handover since it came into force in 1997 and the second time in the last six months.

He said China鈥檚 actions are 鈥渄esigned to harass and stifle all voices critical of China鈥檚 policies.鈥�

Hong Kong鈥檚 people, he added, are left now with a 鈥渘eutered legislature.鈥�

President Donald Trump鈥檚 national security adviser, Robert O鈥橞rien, said the Chinese Communist Party has violated its international commitment to the people of Hong Kong.

鈥溾�極ne country, two systems鈥� is now merely a fig leaf covering for the CCP鈥檚 expanding one-party dictatorship in Hong Kong,鈥� he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the disqualification of the four lawmakers 鈥渟eriously undermined鈥� Hong Kong鈥檚 democratic processes and institutions.

The EU鈥檚 foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said China鈥檚 moves 鈥渃onstitute a further severe blow to political pluralism and freedom of opinion in Hong Kong.鈥�

鈥淲e call for the immediate reversal of these decisions by the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong Government and for the immediate reinstatement of the Legislative Council members,鈥� he said in a statement.

In recent months, Beijing has increasingly clamped down on Hong Kong, despite promising when it took control in 1997 to leave the territory鈥檚 more open legal and economic systems intact for 50 years, until 2047.

Beijing imposed a national security law in June that some have labeled draconian after anti-government protests rocked the city for months last year, and it has used it to crack down on opposition voices.

In response, the U.S. leveled sanctions on several officials, including Carrie Lam. Several Western countries have suspended their extradition treaties with the territory, and Australia and Britain have offered Hong Kongers easier paths to settle in those countries.

Earlier in the year, the four lawmakers were barred from seeking reelection in a vote originally scheduled for September.

The government eventually postponed the election by a year, citing the coronavirus. The pro-democracy camp criticized the move as an attempt to block them from winning a majority of seats in the legislature 鈥� which was a possibility in the election.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Deb Riechmann in Washington, Pan Pylas in London, and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.