"There is now an opportunity to find a way through the crisis with political dialogue that reflects the legitimate aspirations of the people of Hong Kong and respects the one country two systems model," Raab said in a statement.
On Sunday, after months of anti-government rallies, Hong Kong held direct elections to the councils of 18 urban districts — the councils deal with local issues, such as transportation and utilities — with a total of 452 seats at stake. With 98 per cent of the votes counted, supporters of the opposition got an absolute majority of 344 seats, while the pro-government bloc secured only 58 seats, and independent candidates got 41 seats. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she and the rest of her government respect these results. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang has, meanwhile, reiterated the central government's full support of Lam.
Sunday’s elections are considered to be a test of support for both the local pro-establishment authorities and the so-called pro-democracy lawmakers after six months of protests. On the eve of the vote, instead of arranging new weekend protests, activists urged their supporters to go to the polls and vote for pro-democracy candidates.
Hong Kong has been facing waves of rallies since June. The protests eventually escalated into violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police. Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong as a direct result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs.
