Today Damian Green spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the Anniversary of the Hong Kong National Security Law. On 30th June it will have been three years since the Hong Kong National Security Law came into effect by China, making it easier to prosecute protestors and reducing the city’s autonomy. Hundreds of protestors, activists and former opposition lawmakers have been arrested since the law came into force. We have also witnessed Chinese state sponsored intimidation of Hongkongers in this country.
Damian congratulates the Government on the introduction of the British National Overseas visa route for Hong Kong citizens. We have had more than 160,000 applications and this shows how essential this visa route was for those who no longer feel safe in Hong Kong.
However, the British National Overseas visa scheme is no substitute for holding China to account abroad. China has broken international agreements with the UK, specifically the Sino-British Joint Declaration which sets out the conditions in which the entirety of colonial Hong Kong would be transferred to Chinese control and how the territory shall be governed after 1st July 1997. Damian called for the Minister to say what concrete action has been taken to hold the Chinese Government to account for the ongoing breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. We need to push back against what China is doing under the guise of their National Security Law in Hong Kong and indeed abroad including this country.