US urges Hong Kong to commit to ‘free and fair’ Legco election in September amid coronavirus delay fears

The calls come as local media outlets reported the government may postpone the Legislative Council polls for up to a year, citing the Covid-19 pandemic

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says ‘the UK would be watching the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections in September closely’

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wears a face mask as he leaves after a news conference at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Published: 4:35am, 29 Jul 2020Updated: 7:13pm, 3 Aug 2020

The United States and Australia on Tuesday urged Hong Kong to commit to a “free and fair” legislative election, while the European Union and the UK vowed to closely monitor the polls scheduled for September 6.

The calls come as several Hong Kong media outlets reported the government may postpone the Legislative Council polls for up to a year, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

The US and Australia are also teaming up in their criticism of China, taking the country to task for what they claim is aggressive behaviour throughout the Asia-Pacific and not acting quickly to contain the coronavirus.

With only just over a month before the Legco election, Hong Kong’s pan-democrats expressed worries over the reported moves of the city government, saying a postponement would be an attempt to usurp what was expected to be a big win for the camp in the vote, which happens every four years.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listen while US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper speaks during a press conference in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

In a joint statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and visiting Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the two “reiterated their support for the people of Hong Kong to be able to elect Legislative Council representatives via a genuinely free and fair election, which is credible and peaceful, on September 6”.