09/05/2022 (Agence Europe) – The EU regrets the appointment of former police officer John Lee Ka-chiu as Hong Kong’s new Chief Executive, according to a statement from the European External Action Service (EEAS) on Sunday 8 May. Mr Lee Ka-chiu was nominated by a committee of people sympathetic to the Chinese regime. The formation of this election committee was changed with the Hong Kong electoral reform ordered by Beijing in March 2021 (see EUROPE 12677/18). For the EU, the current electoral process “violates democratic principles and political pluralism”. It sees this as a further step “in the dismantling of the ‘one country, two systems’ system”. The G7 members also expressed their concern in a statement on Monday 9 May, calling on the new Chief Executive to respect rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. (LM)