U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Hong Kong’s decision to delay its Legislative Council elections by a year and urged the city’s government to reconsider.
"There is no valid reason for such a lengthy delay,” Pompeo said in a statement. "This regrettable action confirms that Beijing has no intention of upholding the commitments it made to the Hong Kong people and the United Kingdom under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a U.N.-registered treaty, and the Basic Law.”
Pompeo said Hong Kong authorities should hold the elections as close as possible to Sept. 6, the date for which they were originally scheduled. Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the postponement on Friday, citing a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.