Australia’s top diplomat offers support to Hong Kong protesters, wants ‘rights and freedoms upheld’

Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s comments risk further straining relations with Beijing, after the arrest of Chinese-Australian author Yang Hengjun on suspicion of espionage

Hong Kong is home to about 100,000 Australian expats and Australia’s biggest commercial presence in Asia, with some 600 businesses

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A young protester helps his girlfriend during a rally outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:16pm, 3 Sep 2019Updated: 2:41pm, 3 Sep 2019

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne has urged the Hong Kong government to listen to its people while calling for restraint and an end to the violence roiling the city.

In her most direct show of support for the pro-democracy protests, Australia’s top diplomat on Tuesday said Hongkongers had “legitimate concerns” and the “vast majority” of protesters had exercised their rights peacefully.

“We call urgently for restraint from violence and for renewed efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution through dialogue,” Payne told The Australian newspaper.

Responding to concerns the unrest could provoke intervention by Beijing, Payne said Hong Kong authorities should handle the crisis “responsibly and proportionately”.

“It is important that the rights and freedoms set out in Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration are upheld,” Payne said. “Respect for the rights and responsibilities of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, including the rule of law and freedom of assembly, is fundamental to Hong Kong’s success.”

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