Patten and Ashdown call on UK PM Theresa May to speak up for Hong Kong during China trip
Former governor and fellow peer decry ‘increasing threats to the basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy’ in city
The last British governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten on Monday urged his prime minister to speak up for the city during her first state visit to China, saying the former colony faced increasing threats to “basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy”.
“In the past five years Hong Kong has seen increasing threats to the basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy which the people were promised at the handover just over 20 years ago,” Patten and Ashdown wrote.
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“We hope that ... you will be able to provide the people of Hong Kong with some assurance that our developing relationship with China, vital though it is, will not come at the cost of our obligation to them,” the letter read.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration is an agreement made between China and the UK in 1984 to enable Hong Kong’s handover to China in 1997. It set out the core principles of the one country, two systems concept, under which China governs Hong Kong, and guarantees the city a high degree of autonomy.
The 10-page report in question said Hong Kong’s rule of law, autonomy and freedoms were being “eroded” by China. Lam said that position was “unfounded and unfair”.
Anyone – including Chris Patten – could be barred from Hong Kong, Lam says
In a response to media enquiries over Patten and Ashdown’s comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that since the city’s handover, the principles of one country, two systems as well as “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy had been effectively implemented.
“Hong Kong affairs belong to China’s internal affairs,” she added. “China firmly opposes the interference of any foreign government, institution and individual in the affairs of Hong Kong. This position cannot be clearer.”
Additional reporting by Danny Mok