EU and China clash over Macau election ban

The EU criticises the decision to block 21 opposition candidates from standing for office, saying it ‘curtails democratic debate’
Beijing rejects the criticism and complains it is a ‘serious violation of international law’

China-EU relations

Kinling Loin Beijing

Published: 1:30pm, 1 Aug 2021

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The European Union has criticised China over its decision to bar more than 20 candidates from standing for election in Macau.

On Saturday the top court in the former Portuguese colony, now a special administrative region (SAR) of China, rejected an appeal against the decision that barred 21 opposition candidates from running in September’s legislative election.

Following the ruling, the EU issued a two-paragraph statement that described the decision as “a detrimental step that runs counter to the rights guaranteed in Macau’s Basic Law”, referring to the mini-constitution implemented after it was returned to Chinese rule under the “one country, two systems” principle that also applies in Hong Kong.

The EU said the decision “undermines political pluralism and curtails democratic debate”, adding that protected rights and freedoms should be upheld.

Hours after the statement was published, Beijing’s mission to the EU described the statement as “a serious violation of international law and the basic norms of international relations” and said that Macau’s affairs “are entirely China’s internal affairs and allow no interference from any external force”.

Beijing moves official to Hong Kong to ‘coordinate security agencies’

“For quite some time, the EU has repeatedly pointed fingers at China over the Hong Kong and Macau SARs’ affairs. It needs to be made clear to the EU side that the Chinese people will never accept preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture others, and that attempts to interfere in the name of ‘democracy and freedom’ are doomed to fail,” the statement continued.

Relations between China and the EU have deteriorated in recent months, with the European Parliament suspending the ratification of an investment deal following the imposition of tit-for-tat sanctions over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The EU, along with democracies such as the US and Japan, has become increasingly vocal about what it sees as Beijing’s undermining of freedoms in Hong Kong and Macau, which were both promised a “high degree of autonomy” following the handover.

Beijing has denied the claims, along with charges of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and said these are strictly internal matters.

Macau’s Portuguese-language journalists brace for restrictions on press freedom

The election ban was the first in Macau since it was returned to Chinese rule in 1999. The candidates were barred because the authorities said they would not pledge allegiance to the city or uphold its mini-constitution.

Hong Kong has been banning opposition candidates since 2016 and some elected lawmakers were unseated for improper oath-taking.

Since the imposition of a national security law last year, dozens of opposition lawmakers and councillors have quit their seats and have been jailed, arrested, exiled or have quit politics.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: EU slams ban on 21candidates in Macau