Five liberal parliamentarians from ALDE member parties in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have joined forces to issue a statement that condemns China’s breaking of the agreement on Hong Kong’s special status. The signatories, standing united against any attacks on civil liberties, are party leaders Trine Skei Grande (Venstre, Norway) and Morten Østergaard (Radikale Venstre, Denmark) as well as MPs Kerstin Lundgren (Centerpartiet, Sweden), Fredrik Malm (Liberalerna, Sweden) and Mats Löfström (Svenska Folkpartiet, Finland).

By breaking the agreement with Hong Kong, China is breaking down its own credibility, with consequences to the country’s global position, the signatories write.

“If we stand together, we can change this behaviour. We therefore call for more binding and solid cooperation in the Nordic countries, and in Europe, when it comes to relations with China,” the five liberals urge in their statement, citing examples of China exerting pressure on the individual countries, from requesting a book to be removed from a Norwegian library to threatening a Swedish NGO for giving an award to Gui Minhai, a Chinese-born Swedish writer.

“We have long hoped that China would develop in a more liberal and open direction. […] With China's actions in Hong Kong, this hope disappears,” the Nordic liberals conclude their statement.

Read the original statement in Swedish and in Danish

The ALDE Party Bureau has also released a statement on the situation in Hong Kong, calling for the European Union to strongly condemn China and show its support for the citizens of Hong Kong. Access the ALDE Party Bureau statement in full here, and show your support on Twitter and on Facebook.