Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok raises Hong Kong and human rights concerns with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
- Arrests of journalists and lawmakers in city, delay of Legco elections and new national security law all ‘extremely worrying developments’, Blok says
- Minister also spoke about treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang during meeting with Wang, who is on five-nation tour of Europe
The Dutch foreign minister has raised concerns over Hong Kong with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, whose preferred focus of economic partnership for his European tour has so far been overshadowed by the city’s situation.
Stef Blok said in a statement on Wednesday that his discussions with Wang showed that “the Netherlands and China want to work together on a serious mutual relationship”, especially in the context of post-coronavirus economic recovery.
“Our frequent contact recently shows how important the relationship is for both of us,” Blok said.
But the Dutch statement – in lieu of a joint press conference – went into details of human rights discussions he had with Wang, especially on Hong Kong and Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang.
“The recent arrests [in Hong Kong] of lawmakers and journalists, the postponement of the elections for the legislative council and the national security law are all very worrying developments,” Blok said on the same day that two moderate pro-democracy lawmakers were arrested in Hong Kong for rioting.