Analytics, China, Direct Speech, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation

China has called the Hong Kong primary elections a provocation and introduced a security law that restricts the human rights of people of Hong Kong. France and Germany proposed restricting exports of mass control equipment to China and offering people of Hong Kong easier immigration into the European Union.

According to Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, these are symbolic but welcome steps. Reinsalu also did not rule out even tougher measures against China.

Frank Juris, junior research fellow at the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute, said that Estonian foreign policy lacks vigor. Juris said that it was right to respond to China jointly in the European Union, but China could nevertheless be criticized more strongly.

"These protests have been going on for a year. Countless amounts of tear gas, canisters, rubber bullets have been wasted. Journalists have been injured as a result of these mass control tools. It seems to me that the current planned sanctions are coming too late and are too small to significantly affect the course of China's current policy," Juris said.

According to Estonian MEP Urmas Paet, the EU has acted more harshly with other countries in similar human rights violations.