‘Face reality,’ China tells Britain in response to report expressing fears over rights and freedoms in Hong Kong

The Beijing and Hong Kong governments have insisted that human rights and freedoms have been fully protected in the city, as they rejected British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s concerns that the city’s high degree of autonomy is “being reduced”.

In response to London’s latest six-monthly report to the British parliament, a spokesman for the Hong Kong government also reiterated that foreign governments should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of the special administrative region, which is an inalienable part of China.

“Since the return to the motherland, the HKSAR has been exercising ‘Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong’ and a high degree of autonomy … The ‘one country, two systems’ principle has been fully and successfully implemented,” he said, in a reference to the framework under which Beijing has governed Hong Kong since it was returned from British rule in 1997.

In a strongly-worded statement, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong urged London to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.

“We urge the British to face up to the reality that Hong Kong has returned to the motherland, abide by the basic principles of international relations, and stop publishing these so-called reports and stop pointing their fingers at Hong Kong affairs,” he added.

The report recorded major political developments in the former British colony from July to December last year, and did not mention the controversial proposal raised by the government last month to allow the surrender of fugitives to jurisdictions with which the city had no extradition deal, including Macau, Taiwan and the mainland.

It came a week after Washington published the 2019 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, which raised concerns that the city’s autonomy had been diminished by what it characterised as increasing interference from Beijing.

US voices concern over Beijing’s ‘increased intervention’ in Hong Kong

In the British document, Hunt said: “I am concerned that on civil and political freedoms, Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy is being reduced. These concerns are driven by recent events, such as the banning of the Hong Kong National Party, political screening of election candidates, and the seemingly politically motivated expulsion of the Financial Times Asia News Editor,” he wrote.

Hunt was referring to a series of contentious political events in Hong Kong last year.

The city’s Security Bureau banned the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party in September on national security grounds.

A month later, British journalist Victor Mallet was denied a working visa by the Hong Kong government and was given seven days to leave the city.

In the same month, the government banned ousted opposition lawmaker Lau Siu-lai from running in a Legislative Council by-election on the grounds that she once advocated self-determination for Hong Kong.

Elaborating on Hong Kong, Hunt said: “I have … been concerned by the recent pressure being applied on Hong Kong to move towards a mainland Chinese interpretation of civil and political freedoms, under which certain subjects are effectively off-limits for discussion and debate.”

But the spokesman for China’s foreign ministry office said the British report “disregarded the facts and reversed black and white”.

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“It deliberately confused the legitimate actions of the central government and the SAR government in cracking down on ‘Hong Kong independence’, safeguarding national sovereignty, national security and the rule of law of the SAR, with the freedom of speech, press and association,” he said.

“Since the handover, one country, two systems, ‘Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong’ and the principle of a high degree of autonomy have been effectively implemented. The successful implementation of one country, two systems has been recognised around the world,” he said.

The spokesman added that the “unprecedented” rights and freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong residents were undeniable facts.

The Hong Kong government’s spokesman said that the local administration had a duty to ensure that all elections were conducted in accordance with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.

“There is no question of ‘political screening’ as alleged by the report,” he said. “Human rights and freedom in Hong Kong, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly … are fully protected by the Basic Law.”

The spokesman added that any suggestion of “Hong Kong’s independence” was a direct affront to the national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of China.

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Benedict Rogers, founder of London-based NGO Hong Kong Watch, welcomed the British report.

“This is the first time that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have publicly stated so clearly and strongly in a six-monthly report that not all aspects of one country, two systems are functioning well. This shift in message from the UK government reflects a serious deterioration of the situation on the ground,” he said.

“It is positive to see such a strong reaffirmation of the UK’s commitment to Hong Kong in the report. I hope that the strong stance will also be noted by other international governments.”