British PM hopeful Jeremy Hunt urges Xi Jinping to keep Hong Kong’s freedoms

Foreign secretary shows sympathy for protesters’ cause after storming of legislature building

Sino-British Joint Declaration remains effective, guaranteeing a degree of autonomy for Hong Kong, Hunt says

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Jeremy Hunt told Sky television he hoped the 1984 agreement would not be undermined. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:18am, 2 Jul 2019Updated: 10:24am, 2 Jul 2019

Britain’s foreign secretary has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping should “let it be” and allow Hong Kong’s freedoms to be preserved, adding that his heart goes out to the protesters who stormed the city’s legislature on Monday.

Commenting hours after a violent takeover of the Legislative Council building by mostly young protesters, Jeremy Hunt said he understood their worries about “changes happening in Hong Kong”.

“When I look at those situations, those terrible scenes in Hong Kong, my heart goes out to people who do have to fight for their freedoms and who are worried they could lose their very, very precious way of life,” Hunt, a Tory leadership hopeful who is vying to be Britain’s next prime minister, said on Sky television.

“What I would say to President Xi is: ‘Look at how special Hong Kong is,’” Hunt said. “This city of just 7 million people, a fraction the size of China, and yet one of the world’s great centres of enterprise. It’s because of that special mix in its history of British and Chinese influence – and let it be.

“It says so much for China if it’s prepared to allow Hong Kong to operate under a different system with those basic democratic freedoms. I think that should stay.”

The latest Hong Kong protests coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.