On Friday, the member governments of the G7’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) and their international partners reaffirmed their shared commitment to protecting their sovereignty against attempts to enforce arrest warrants issued by Hong Kong authorities in late July targeting individuals residing in Europe and North America.

In a joint statement, the G7 nations (the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan), the European Union, along with Australia, New Zealand, NATO, the Netherlands, and Sweden—as affiliated members of the RRM—referenced recent developments and condemned the Hong Kong police’s July 25 decision to "issue arrest warrants and offer financial rewards for reporting individuals outside Hong Kong’s borders for exercising their freedom of expression."

The statement asserted that "this form of transnational repression threatens national security and sovereignty, violates human rights, and endangers the safety of societies."

The governments emphasized their commitment, "in line with the G7 leaders’ recent statement on transnational repression, to intensify efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, uphold societal security, and protect individuals from overreach by governments seeking to silence, intimidate, or harm them within our borders."

They also urged "individuals to report any suspicious activities, intimidation, harassment, or threats to local law enforcement authorities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations."

The statement noted that the G7’s Rapid Response Mechanism "has worked since its establishment to counter foreign interference and defend democratic societies from malicious cross-border activities."

U.S. and International Condemnation

In a related context, the U.S. State Department had denounced in a July 26 statement Hong Kong’s announcement of new arrest warrants and bounties for 15 activists, including individuals residing in the U.S., describing it as "the pursuit of Hong Kong residents abroad for exercising their fundamental rights."

Hong Kong courts had charged these individuals with "undermining state authority" in Hong Kong or China at large under the National Security Law (NSL) imposed in 2020.

Background on Hong Kong’s National Security Law

China enacted the "National Security Law" in 2020, sparking protests in Hong Kong and criticism from Western nations, which viewed it as a crackdown on freedoms and an erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy.