Boris Johnson urged to ensure ‘crisis in Hong Kong’ is high up on G7 agenda next week, with Xinjiang also among possible topics
- A group of ex-British foreign ministers urge Boris Johnson to rally international action over Beijing’s Hong Kong actions
- China expected to feature heavily at next week’s G7 leaders’ summit, which will take place in Cornwall, England
“In the last few months, Beijing has arrested 47 pro-democracy activists and lawmakers under the national security law for the ‘crime’ of holding democratic primaries, introduced changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system to prevent pro-democracy parties from standing, and passed an immigration bill which will allow for the introduction of ‘exit bans’,” read the letter signed by a group of former Conservative and Labour ministers.
“As the human rights situation in Hong Kong continues to deteriorate, we hope you will personally recognise the pronounced need for international leadership from the UK government on this matter,” it continued.
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The letter was signed by the former Labour foreign ministers David Owen, Margaret Beckett, Jack Straw and David Miliband, as well as the Conservatives Malcolm Rifkind and William Hague.
Britain is chair of the Group of 7 (G7) this year, which comes at a time of heightened tensions between G7 nations and China over a raft of issues, including Hong Kong.
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Earlier this year, it rolled out a scheme by which millions of Hong Kong residents could apply for a new visa that will allow them to live and work in Britain and, after six years, apply for citizenship.
But it is under pressure from a growing faction of hardline lawmakers to take a firmer line, with a sizeable group of MPs advocating for sanctions on top Hong Kong officials.
The Chinese embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.
China-related issues formed a key part of the G7 foreign ministers’ summit in May, with a lengthy statement devoting a paragraph to Hong Kong.
“We call on China and the Hong Kong authorities to end the targeting of those who defend rights and freedoms and democratic values, to uphold the independence of the judicial system and to ensure cases are not transferred to the mainland,” read the statement.
While no official agenda has been published for the summit, China is expected to feature heavily again.
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“It is going to be jolly difficult for them to keep [avoiding] talking. It really is top of everybody’s agenda,” said Charles Parton, a veteran British diplomat in China, who added that Britain and other members may be “reluctant to go too hard on China” due to their need to balance commercial issues.
Britain has invited a group of Asia-Pacific nations to attend as guests, three of which – Australia, India and South Korea – have ongoing trade, territorial and political disputes with Beijing.
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Analysts suggested that the US will be pushing for firmer action from the G7, but that the group is limited in what it can do in practice.
“China is increasingly a concern for all Western countries, but at the same time, I think that the EU, for example, is still trying to walk a fine balance,” said Anna Rosenberg, head of the Europe and UK practice at Signum Global Advisors.
“They’re realising recently that yes, there are threats coming out of China, but the EU, especially Germany, and Italy, don’t want to expose themselves too much to the US either.”