UK says Hong Kong freedoms continue to erode, drawing China anger

Former colonial energy within the territory says it's in China’s pursuits that Hong Kong keep its distinctiveness.

The UK has mentioned it was intently watching the nationwide safety trial of Jimmy Lai, which has been delayed till September [File: Isaac Lawrence/AFP]

The UK has reiterated its concern over China’s method to Hong Kong, accusing Beijing of eroding the territory’s rights and freedoms and breaching the worldwide treaty beneath which the one-time British colony was returned to China, prompting indignant reactions from Beijing and Hong Kong.

Within the newest six-monthly evaluation of the state of affairs in Hong Kong [PDF], the UK authorities cited occasions together with the closely-controlled course of beneath which John Lee grew to become the territory’s new chief, the continued arrest and prosecution “of those that dissent” and ongoing nationwide safety trials as proof of the deterioration of Hong Kong’s political and civic life.

The report, launched on Thursday within the UK, coated the interval from January to June 2022.

“Hong Kong’s autonomy is declining, and the pervasive, chilling impact of the Nationwide Safety Regulation seeps into all elements of society,” Overseas Secretary James Cleverly mentioned in his introduction to the report.

“Freedoms are being systematically eroded by Beijing on a number of fronts, tightening the restrictions on the lives of odd Hong Kongers.”

China imposed the Nationwide Safety Regulation on Hong Kong in June 2020, following mass protests the 12 months earlier than that typically turned violent.

The broadly-worded legislation punishes “terrorism”, collusion with international forces, subversion and secession with attainable life in jail, limiting the prospect for defendants to safe bail and eradicating jury trials. Critics say the legislation has been used to crack down on dissent with human rights group Amnesty Worldwide, which closed its workplace within the territory in 2021, arguing Hong Kong was on the highway to turning into a police state.

The most recent evaluation from the UK authorities drew indignant condemnation from Hong Kong’s authorities in addition to Beijing officers.

In an announcement late on Thursday, the Hong Kong authorities mentioned it “vehemently refutes the slandering remarks and ill-intentioned political assaults” within the UK’s report.

Hong Kong is an “inalienable a part of the Folks’s Republic of China”, it mentioned, accusing the UK of interfering within the territory’s affairs and urging it “to respect the fundamental norms governing worldwide relations”.

The Chinese language Embassy within the UK echoed these feedback, saying the UK report “distorted details, grossly interfered in Hong Kong affairs, that are China’s inner affairs, and significantly violated the fundamental norms governing worldwide relations”.

The UK authorities started the six-monthly replace after the territory was returned to Chinese language rule in 1997 with Beijing promising to respect Hong Kong’s excessive autonomy and distinctive lifestyle for a minimum of 50 years. Whereas the territory has by no means been a democracy, its folks lengthy loved rights and freedoms unknown on the mainland.

“There is no such thing as a doubt that China is failing to adjust to the Sino-British Joint Declaration [PDF],” Cleverly mentioned in his remarks. “Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms have been sacrificed to facilitate higher management by Beijing, undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. China is diminishing the lifestyle promised to Hong Kong 25 years in the past.”

The UK mentioned it was intently watching the case of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who additionally has UK citizenship, and whose resolution to retain a British barrister was rejected by the Hong Kong authorities even after its personal courts upheld the request.

The lawyer, Timothy Owen, doesn't ordinarily practise within the territory however had been allowed to take action on an advert hoc foundation.

Hong Kong’s authorities insisted that his presence would represent a threat to “nationwide safety” given the character of the trial, and Lee referred the difficulty to the Standing Committee of Beijing’s Nationwide Folks’s Congress on the finish of November – simply earlier than Lai’s trial beneath the safety legislation was because of begin.

On the finish of December the NPCSC introduced its findings, and didn't expressly bar international legal professionals. As an alternative, it mentioned Hong Kong and its Committee for Safeguarding Nationwide Safety had the ability to “make judgements and selections” over whether or not a problem concerned nationwide safety, and reiterated that the Hong Kong committee’s selections weren't topic to judicial overview.

“We are going to watch intently how the Chief Government implements the choice,” Cleverly mentioned.

The trial of Lai, the founding father of the massively in style Apple Each day, which was closed in 2021, is now because of begin in September.

Cleverly mentioned whereas the UK was ready to “work constructively” with Lee it might “choose the Hong Kong authorities primarily based on its actions”.

“We name on the Chief Government to respect rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, and to uphold the rule of legislation. It's in China’s pursuits that Hong Kong keep its distinctiveness,” he mentioned.