Mainland China scholar rejects idea of Hong Kong pulling out of UN torture convention
Amid influx of asylum seekers to city, Rao Geping says move would have to be approved by Beijing, which is also a signatory
A leading mainland scholar on Hong Kong laws on Sunday rejected pulling the city out of the UN torture convention, an idea once endorsed by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
Rao Geping, a member of the Basic Law Committee under the National People’s Congress standing committee, was speaking amid calls from pro-establishment politicians to curb the flow of suspected bogus asylum seekers into Hong Kong.
His comment is seen as indicating the unlikelihood of Beijing adopting a plan floated last week by former Hong Kong security minister and NPC delegate Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong.
Lee asked the central government to consult with its Hong Kong counterpart in removing the city’s status as a signatory to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Asked if Beijing would agree, Rao said: “There is no such a precedent. I’m not too sure about what sufficient reason there is to necessitate a move to quit the convention.”
The Peking University legal scholar said Hong Kong could not act on its own and any application to join or leave international agreements had to be done by Beijing. He added he “did not hear” of any plan for China, also a signatory to the torture convention, to pull out.