The European Union will support Hong Kong’s autonomy with a “coordinated” mix of EU-wide and national measures meant to counter China’s new national-security law for the Asian financial hub, the bloc’s top diplomat said.
Foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell called the Chinese legislation “draconian” and said the EU response could include stepped-up scholarships for Hong Kong students, looser visa arrangements for residents of the city and curbs on the export there of “specific and sensitive technologies” used for law enforcement.
The EU is seeking to protest the Chinese challenge to Hong Kong’s autonomy under the “one country, two systems” governing principle while stopping short of imposing penalties directly against China, which is the bloc’s No. 2 trading partner.