Beijing, Macau ‘strongly oppose’ EU report

Both the Chinese and Macau governments have expressed “strong opposition” towards a European Union (EU) report recently published which summarizes Macau’s condition in 2021.

“The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People’s Republic of China expresses strong opposition to the release of the 2021 annual report on the MSAR issued by the EU,” the local government said in a statement.

Reiterating the “successful implementation of the ‘One country, two systems’ principle,” the local government described the report as containing “unfounded accusations and counterfactual claims.”

“The Macau Special Administrative Region Government urges the EU to stop immediately its intervention in Macau’s internal affairs, as they are part of China’s domestic affairs,” the local government added.

In response to the same report, the Commissioner’s Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region said in a statement: “We express our strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the EU’s publication of the so-called 2021 Macau-related report, which repeats its old tricks, confuses right and wrong, and smears the successful practice of ‘one country, two systems’ in Macau.”

It further emphasized that “Macau affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, and no external forces should interfere. We once again urge the EU to recognize the general trend, change its course, abandon its ideological prejudice and immediately stop interfering in the affairs of the Macau SAR and China’s internal affairs.”

In its report, the EU accused the government’s implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle of “[undermining] the political rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Macau,” in addition to making the situation “increasingly challenging for Macau’s media to express a broad range of views, [noting that] they are practicing more self-censorship.”

It noted specifically that authorities in Macau had, “for the first time […] disqualified 21 candidates” before the parliamentary election last year. The EU issued a Spokesperson Statement calling the decision a detrimental step that ran counter to the rights guaranteed in Macau’s Basic Law, the report highlighted.

The EU also emphasized the fact that its officials stationed in Hong Kong could not visit Macau, which “has hindered the [EU’s] work and limited contact with SAR government officials and others.”

Nonetheless, the EU said in the report that it “supports [the ‘one country, two systems’] principle and its implementation.” It added that the report was issued “in line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1997.”