European Parliament Pushes Beijing Olympics Boycott Over Vienna Daily Closure

Reporters of Bingwa Daily are bidding farewell to supporters gathered outside the newspaper office, holding the last printed newspaper before its closure on the 24th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The European Parliament is expected to adopt a resolution urging a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in response to the closure of Hong Kong's Apple Daily and other issues.

On the 8th, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, "Major political parties in the European Parliament drafted a resolution condemning China's ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong during June 6-7," stating this development.

The European Parliament is scheduled to hold discussions and a vote on this matter during the session. SCMP noted, "Although the resolution is non-binding, it is expected to be adopted with overwhelming support."

According to the draft resolution, the European Parliament called for sanctions against Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong; John Lee, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration; Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council of China; and Luo Huining, Director of the Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong, who have played key roles in adopting and implementing policies that undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms.

It also urged European government representatives and diplomats to refuse invitations to the Beijing Winter Olympics unless the Chinese government provides clear evidence of improvements in human rights conditions.

The resolution further included provisions that the European Union (EU) should allow the immigration of Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and political leaders to Europe, similar to policies in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

The resolution warned, "The human rights situation in Hong Kong is rapidly deteriorating, with particularly overt attacks on freedom of the press and freedom of expression." It also called on the EU to urge the United Nations to appoint a special envoy for Hong Kong.

The European Parliament also reaffirmed its unchanged stance on freezing the ratification of the EU-China investment agreement. Previously, on May 20, the European Parliament passed a resolution deciding not to ratify the investment agreement between the EU and China until China lifts sanctions against EU officials.

Evelyn Gebhardt, a German Social Democratic Party member who led the resolution, said, "Because we have a profound interest in freedom of the press, the discussion on the resolution was very straightforward," adding, "Freedom of the press is one of the most important principles of democracy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.