Judge Anderson Chow of the Court of First Instance ruled on Friday that extending marriage rights to LGBTQ+ couples would lead to “far-reaching consequences” and that it was “beyond the proper scope of the functions or powers of the court, in the name of interpretation, to seek to effect a change of social policy on such a fundamental issue.”

Hong Kong’s ruling is a stark contrast to Taiwan’s 2017 ruling, which made Taiwan the first country to allow same-sex marriage in Asia.Its constitutional court ruled that refusing to recognize LGBTQ+ couples is “unconstitutional” and gave lawmakers two years to pass a marriage equality bill or the freedom to marry would automatically become law.