Hong Kong’s government on Saturday rejected warnings that its autonomy and rule of law were at risk after a British parliamentary report concluded the city was moving towards “one country, one and a half systems”. A spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the policy of “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” was intact and “in strict accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law”, the city’s mini-constitution. The latest report on “China and the Rules-Based International System” by the foreign affairs committee at Britain’s House of Commons has called on British officials to include the city in the agenda for every ministerial meeting with China. Form dedicated committee to keep an eye on Hong Kong, British lawmakers urged “The Chinese government, the UK government and witnesses to this inquiry have reaffirmed the importance of ‘one country, two systems’,” read the report, referring to the principle under which Hong Kong is part of China but afforded certain freedoms. “But we fear that Hong Kong is in reality moving towards ‘one country, one and a half systems’. We also believe the Chinese government’s approach to Hong Kong is moving closer to ‘one country, one system’ than it is to maintaining its treaty commitments under the joint declaration.” The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 between the British and Chinese governments, set out the terms of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty 13 years later. The United States late last month raised similar worries about the city. The Department of State noted “accelerating negative trends” in connection with what it saw as increased intervention by Beijing in the running of Hong Kong. The use of the Societies Ordinance to ban the Hong Kong National Party is a matter of deep concern British parliamentary report The British report said Hong Kong authorities had targeted not only independence advocates but also journalists who gave them a platform. “The use of the Societies Ordinance to ban the Hong Kong National Party is a matter of deep concern,” it read. The government banned the HKNP in September on national security grounds, with Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu saying the party’s willingness to use force meant its independence calls could not be regarded as mere “political rhetoric”. Carrie Lam says Hong Kong must stand firm on ‘one country, two systems’ Financial Times Asia news editor Victor Mallet was also pulled into the controversy. The government refused to renew his work visa, a move widely linked to Mallet having moderated a talk by HKNP founder Andy Chan Ho-tin at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in August. The report said “independence is not a realistic option” for Hong Kong. “But citizens of a free society have the right to express their views freely. If the Hong Kong authorities’ approach to the independence movement were to be replicated more broadly, this would be a very grave threat to the autonomy promised under the joint declaration.” The committee urged the British government to continue raising its concerns both publicly and privately with Hong Kong authorities. “The government should commit to including the topic of Hong Kong on the agenda for every ministerial visit to China – whichever department the minister represents – and for every ministerial-level Chinese visit to the UK,” it said. UK parliamentary committee urges ‘action’ on human rights in Hong Kong British lawmakers have received six-monthly reports on Hong Kong affairs since the handover. In the latest report last month, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “I am concerned that on civil and political freedoms, Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy is being reduced.” He also cited the HKNP ban and Mallet’s case. A British parliamentary committee scrutinising human rights earlier urged Britain’s foreign office to work to guarantee the principles promised in the joint declaration. Additional reporting by Danny Lee