Seven former British foreign ministers yesterday called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to push G7 allies to set up an international monitoring group for Hong Kong in response to Beijing’s tightening control over the restless territory.
China has sparked alarm among Western powers with plans to impose sweeping national security legislation on the territory.
Beijing says the legislation is needed to combat “terrorism” and “separatism” after the territory was upended last year by seven months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests.
Photo: Reuters
Opponents fear the law — which is bypassing Hong Kong’s Legislative Council — would be used to stifle dissent, as similar laws are used on the authoritarian mainland, and would deal a fatal blow to the autonomy the territory was promised ahead of its 1997 handover.
The UK, US, Australia and Canada have issued a joint statement criticizing Beijing’s plan, while London has announced plans to extend visa rights to Hong Kongers eligible for British National (Overseas) passports.
Former foreign secretaries from both sides of Britain’s political divide have called on Johnson to take a more proactive role.
“The UK must be seen to be leading and coordinating the international response to this crisis,” the group said in a letter made public yesterday.
It was signed by Malcolm Rifkind, Margaret Beckett, William Hague, Jeremy Hunt, David Miliband, David Owen and Jack Straw.
They called on Johnson to reach out to G7 allies “to formally institute an International Contact Group in consultation with international partners, to monitor the situation in Hong Kong and coordinate joint action.”
The working group could be modeled on a similar organization set up by the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Russia to respond to the Balkans crisis in the early 1990s, they said.
Beijing has lashed out at any foreign criticism of its handling of Hong Kong, arguing that the territory’s future is entirely an internal affair.
In the letter, the group argued that Beijing is in “flagrant breach” of the 1984 agreement where it guaranteed Hong Kong would keep its freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after the handover.
US President Donald Trump has said he would strip Hong Kong of certain trade privileges and bar some Chinese students from US universities in response to Beijing’s security law plans.
The EU has been more cautious, calling for dialogue with China while saying there was “grave concern” about the proposed laws.
China yesterday said that it would meet US attempts to harm Chinese interests with firm countermeasures.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) told reporters during a briefing that both countries stand to benefit from bilateral cooperation, but Beijing would resolutely defend its security and development interests.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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