UK Asia Minister says “Hong Kong’s prosperity and way of life rely on the respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. The UK will not look the other way on Hong Kong and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people.” He says that “The UK has called three recent breaches of the Joint Declaration. We will continue to consider designations under our Sanctions Regimes.”
Nigel Adams MP
Minister of State for Asia
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
25 August 2021
Dear Lord Alton,
Thank you for your correspondence of 29 June about Hong Kong and sanctions. I am replying as the Minister for Asia. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.
The UK government remains deeply concerned about the situation in Hong Kong.
The UK has called three recent breaches of the Joint Declaration. The first was the imposition of the NSL on Hong Kong on 30 June 2020. The second was the imposition in November 2020 by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of rules to disqualify people from standing for election to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. The third was China’s National People’s Congress announcement in March 2021 of far-reaching changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system. Reflecting the size and scale of these developments, on 13 March the UK declared China to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration.
In response, the UK has taken three major policy actions. On 31 January 2021, we launched a bespoke immigration route for British Nationals (Overseas) and their dependents. In July 2020, I announced the suspension of the UK-Hong Kong extradition treaty immediately and indefinitely. I also announced extension to Hong Kong of the arms embargo applied to mainland China since 1989, as updated in 1998.
You raise the specific issue of sanctions. We will continue to consider designations under our Sanctions Regimes. However, it is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future, since to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
We also continue to work with international partners and within international institutions, to call on China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities as a leading member of the international community.
Most recently, on 1 July, we co-sponsored a US side event on Hong Kong in the margins of the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council, at which we spoke alongside a number of UN Special Rapporteurs. A few weeks earlier, on 22 June 44 countries including the UK supported a joint statement at the UN on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet. On the same day, the UK delivered a national statement during the Interactive Dialogue
with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging her to monitor closely Beijing’s systematic undermining of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
We have also used our G7 Presidency to highlight our concerns on Hong Kong, including through the Carbis Bay G7 Summit Communique, which called on China to respect those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Joint Declaration.
Hong Kong’s prosperity and way of life rely on the respect for fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. The UK will not look the other way on Hong Kong and we will not duck our historic responsibilities to its people.
Nigel Adams MP
Minister of State for Asia
