Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1654707/britain-pledges-stop-hong-kong-tear-gas-sales-if-police-use-it
Hong Kong

Britain pledges to stop Hong Kong tear gas sales if police use it against protesters again

Hong Kong police deployed 87 canisters of tear gas to disburse pro-democracy protesters on September 28. MP Mike Gapes asked whether it was time to block the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong. Photos: David Wong, Sam Tsang

Britain said it would reopen a review into the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong and seek to block exports if it was used again in the territory.

The call was the clearest signal yet that if Hong Kong police deployed UK-exported tear gas on pro-democracy protesters then a ban would likely follow.

The response by Business Secretary Vince Cable came as he testified in front of the Committee on Arms Export Controls on Monday when MP Mike Gapes asked whether it was time to block the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong.

“On the events of the last few days, we’ll hopefully get advice very quickly on the changes in the situation,” Cable said.

“Subsequently, the judgments that were made earlier in not cancelling the extant licences was: earlier in the demonstrations, tear gas was used once and subsequently that the Hong Kong police was handling this in a proportionate way.

“We will urgently seek to obtain advice whether the position has changed such that we need to review that decision.”

Gapes’ question followed his mistaken belief that tear gas had been used on protesters overnight on Monday, when only pepper spray and water-spraying fire hoses were in fact deployed.

“Isn’t it time we make clear that we do not wish to be complicit with the behaviour of the authoritarian regime in Beijing and its local representatives who are using tear gas on peaceful protesters,” Gapes said.

The same committee previously wrote a letter to Cable enquiring about a number of export licences to Hong Kong for weapons that could be used for internal repression. The items included mortar bombs, sniper rifles, machine guns and gun silencers.

A source from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills told the South China Morning Post that checks were in place to review Hong Kong’s licences.

“If the situation on the ground changes markedly, that will obviously have an impact on any future applications of export licences,” the source said.

“It would be odd to have a ban before the business ministry reviews advice. You can’t constantly be announcing, then unannouncing changing goalposts for countries around the world.”

On October 31, Cable wrote to the committee, informing members that he had declined to impose a ban on tear gas exports to Hong Kong after police deployed 87 canisters to disburse pro-democracy protesters on September 28.

“The foreign secretary has advised me that the use of tear gas by the Hong Kong police was an ‘uncharacteristic response’ at an earlier stage of the protests … and was not indicative of a wider pattern of behaviour,” he said.

Chemring, a British manufacturer of tear gas sold to Hong Kong, declined to say whether it would alter its sales policy after it was used against protesters.

Andrew Smith of the Campaign Against Arms Trade said: “We know that UK-produced tear gas has been used against democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and so far the government’s response has been very weak.

"These licences should certainly be cancelled, but even this would not address the fundamental problem: that suspending or revoking licences is far too little, far too late. Any new review will only be worthwhile if it means a real and fundamental change from business as usual.”