Hong Kong arrests threaten passage of EU-China investment deal, European Parliament members say
- European Commission still keen to get the deal done, saying ‘engagement’ with China on other issues remains crucial
- ‘No one should make the mistake of assuming there are built-in majorities for any deal’, says Bernd Lange, head of the parliament’s trade committee
“The situation in Hong Kong is followed closely by parliamentarians,” said Bernd Lange, head of the EU parliament’s trade committee, which will be responsible for reviewing the deal later this year.
“Concerns about political freedom and human rights have played a prominent role in past debates on trade policy and will surely do so in the case of the CAI,” he added, referring to the comprehensive agreement on investment.
The European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission, was still keen to get the deal done, saying that “engagement” with China on other issues like climate change remained crucial.
03:04
Mass arrests of Hong Kong opposition lawmakers, activists under national security law
The commission concluded the investment agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on December 30, but the deal – the full text of which is still not available for public view – must be approved by the European Parliament.
