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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas blasted Hungary on Monday for an “absolutely incomprehensible” decision to block an EU statement accusing Beijing of cracking down on democracy in Hong Kong.
EU foreign ministers were unable to pass the text even though diplomats said it had already been watered down to gain Hungarian support. EU foreign policy decisions require unanimity.
This is not the first time that Hungary has broken with [the EU’s] unity when it comes to the China issue, ”Maas told reporters after the bloc’s last Foreign Affairs Council meeting on Monday.
This meeting was the second in recent weeks in which foreign ministers failed to adopt conclusions on Hong Kong due to opposition from Budapest.
“I think everyone can figure out for themselves where the reasons are because there are good relations between China and Hungary,” Maas said, referring to the close economic and diplomatic relations between Beijing and Budapest, which is a member of China 17 + 1 business group and investment initiative.
“Basically, we think it’s absolutely incomprehensible,” Maas added. “It is important that, especially towards China after the sanctions that have been imposed and also after the sanction of EU parliamentarians, the European Union speaks with one voice. Unfortunately, this was prevented by Hungary.
Between the two EU meetings, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Orbn said Hungary attaches great importance to its relations with China and is happy that bilateral trade has recorded positive growth despite the pandemic. Xi told Orbn that Beijing highly appreciates Budapest’s firm adherence to a friendly policy towards China.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after Monday’s meeting that he wanted to make “one last push to achieve unanimity” on the Hong Kong conclusions.
“We have decided to give the technical level groups an extra week of work in order to find a solution that all 27 member states can accept,” Borrell said. He added that if such efforts are not successful, then “we must take positions that do not reflect unanimity” without elaborating.
The draft Council conclusions, seen by POLITICO, indicate that the EU remains deeply concerned about the implementation of China’s National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong. The text indicates that the amendments to the Hong Kong Basic Law have a significant negative impact on democratic accountability and political pluralism.
EU countries also commit to ‘react appropriately’ in the event of extraterritorial application of the NSL against any EU citizen or business ”. But the wording is rather flexible on what an appropriate response might involve mentioning, for example, only to “discuss” between EU countries the implementation of their extradition treaties with the People’s Republic of China. , if applicable.
It seems unlikely that even a new project will be acceptable to Hungary. An EU diplomat said Hungary’s objection reflected the view that “the statements and conclusions have produced nothing but a further deterioration in relations with China.
A spokesperson for the Hungarian representation to the EU said that “there was no change in the Hungarian position” on the critical text for China, and added: “Moreover, question no. was not on the agenda of the [Foreign Affairs Council] today.”
There was no discussion or adoption of the text on the Hong Kong conclusions at Monday’s meeting as it was clear from the preparatory discussions that Hungary would maintain its veto, as happened on Wednesday. at a meeting of EU ambassadors where they were tasked with tackling the problem.
Maas said it was crucial for the EU to find a common line on China, as it did in March when it approved sanctions against four Chinese officials involved in running internment camps for people with disabilities. hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.
“If we have a coordinated strategy, then our action is much more effective then we can be much more effective vis-à-vis Beijing on important things like Hong Kong but also the Uyghurs in Xinjiang,” he said. . “It must be possible. It is in the interests of the European Union and of human rights.
Stuart Lau contributed reporting.
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