EU plans ‘coordinated’ action to support Hong Kong’s autonomy

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.

“Some member states may already announce national measures as part of this package in the coming days,” Borrell told reporters on Monday in Brussels after chairing a meeting of foreign ministers from the 27-nation EU. “We will continue to stand by the people of Hong Kong.”

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.