Amongst the busy news recently, it’s hardly surprising that a lot of people miss some quite important news regarding China and a new law they’ve drafted to impose on Hong-Kong. Recently, I had a Q&A session with Tom Tugendhat MP who’s the chair of the foreign affairs committee and during the session, lots of questions over China were raised. So, as a result I will reflect on what our government is doing and what it means. The Chinese government have drafted a national security law. This is hugely important for the residents of Hong-Kong as it would result in a lot of freedom being taken away by the Chinese government. In the draft bill put through Chinese parliament, they are planning on imposing a law that would mean residents of Hong-Kong can be criminally prosecuted for subversion (questioning or threatening the authority of the Chinese government), secession (attempting to break away from China), acts of violence towards other people and encouraging activity by foreign forces to intervene in Hong-Kong. The most worrying part about the legislation is the subversion and succession because this would mean that democracy in Hong-Kong would be compromised.

So, I hear you ask, “why has this got anything to do with the UK?” Well first you need to know the history of Hong-Kong. Before 1997, Hong-Kong was a British colony that came into our possession ever since the first opium war in 1841 due to the Chinese destroying just over 20,000 chests of opium that belonged to the British amongst many other disputes. Since then Hong-Kong island was ruled under the British crown with additions of smaller surrounding islands in 1898. The addition of the new land came with its contract. It was on a 99-year lease that Britain set but never expected to stick to. Britain was in control up until the second world war where Japan invaded Hong-Kong and bombed military air sites and wiped out all ability to retaliate. Before China had a chance to invade Hong-Kong to regain control, the Japanese had already broken the Chinese defence leaving them vulnerable. The war then ends, Japan surrenders, and the UK then has Hong-Kong back in its power. This reign lasts up until 1997 when an important declaration is signed. This was 99 years after the agreement that the British would give territories back. The Sino-British joint declaration was where we handed Hong-Kong over to China. The terms of the declaration were that Hong-Kong would not be subject to Chinese law nor the socialist economic system practised in China. This was coined as the phrase “one country, two systems” where Britain no longer had control of Hong-Kong.

 

You’d think if we handed over Hong-Kong we wouldn’t be responsible for it any longer, however we have a responsibility to make sure that China is sticking to the declaration. As Tom said in the Q&A, this issue is clearly very important but pushing it aside for the moment, if China are willing to break the Sino-British joint declaration, what else will they attempt to break? This is hugely important for the global community and not just this issue alone but it’s important that us as a country should lead the way in standing up for the rule of law, not because of what it says about Hong-Kong but what it says about the international stage and trade and many other things. China are essentially breaking a law. Its fundamentally undemocratic for the citizens of Hong-Kong for a law like this to be imposed on them which is why our government need to stand in. When asked what the government can do to help residents of Hong-Kong he replied with “live up to the promise”. The government announced that they were offering British citizenship for millions of Hong-Kong residents and a path to the UK for all BNO (British nations overseas) living there at the moment if the law is passed, the government must work with the people of Hong-Kong and make sure they are all safe.

 

You may recall the mass riots in Hong-Kong in the tail end of 2019 and they were over similar legislation that allowed criminals to be extradited to China to face trial there. Everyone knows that Chinas criminal justice system is far from fair and residents of Hong-Kong shouldn’t be tried under Chinese law because they do not vote for them and its yet another breach on the one country two system agreement. Hong-Kong will always need defending from the Chinese regime because Hong-Kong is established on the rule of law and democracy and China is a huge threat to those key principles. Not to mention the existing BNOs living there need protecting, and this doesn’t just apply to Hong-Kong. BNOs all over the world should be protected by the UK and one of the most important principles to uphold is the rule of law.