British government report highlights law enforcement in Hong Kong as a cause of concern
Using case of missing booksellers as an example, it urges Beijing to restore confidence in the “one country, two systems” policy to ensure the city’s autonomy
The British government’s latest report on Hong Kong raised concerns over the former British colony’s law enforcement, citing as an example the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers who later resurfaced under the custody of mainland authorities.
The report, issued on Wednesday, urged Beijing to restore confidence in the “one country, two systems” policy that ensured that the city enjoy freedom and a high degree of autonomy.
A Hong Kong government spokesman responded by saying that the city’s freedom had always been secure and urged “foreign governments” to stop interfering.
In the foreword of the British government’s latest six-monthly report to parliament on Hong Kong, which covered the period from January 1 to June 30, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson expressed “specific concerns about the integrity of Hong Kong’s law enforcement”, which was separate from mainland China’s under the two systems policy.
“The case of Mr Lee Po and four others associated with the Mighty Current publishing house and Causeway Bay bookstore has generated widespread concern in Hong Kong,” Johnson wrote.
“As our previous six-monthly report said, Mr Lee’s involuntary removal from Hong Kong to the mainland constituted a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by undermining the ‘one country, two systems’ principle.”