Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to assist British citizens stranded in Hong Kong as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The safety and security of British nationals will always be our top priority. The British Consulate-General in Hong Kong remains in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not changed the level of its travel advice for Hong Kong in response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan, China, though does now advise against all travel to Hubei province and against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao). We have updated our travel advice for all countries and territories which have recorded a confirmed case of the coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the continuing unrest in Hong Kong, what plans they have to follow the example of the Magnitsky Act legislation of the government of the United States to ban people from Hong Kong and mainland China found guilty of violating human rights and the rule of law from entering the UK, and to freeze their assets.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK will establish a UK autonomous global human rights sanctions regime once we leave the European Union. A global sanctions regime will allow us to respond to serious human rights violations or abuses anywhere in the world. The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights. A human rights sanctions regime will help support our human rights objectives. We will look to cooperate with others, including the US and Canada, who use sanctions to address human rights.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist (1) British National Overseas passport holders, and (2) other people who are subject to human rights violations, to ensure that the government of Hong Kong honours the 1984 Sino-British Declaration.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is fully committed to upholding Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, which is guaranteed by the legally binding Joint Declaration of 1984 and enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law. The Foreign Secretary has made this clear to both the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, and Chinese Foreign Minister, State Councillor Wang Yi. The Foreign Secretary has also spoken to a wide range of counterparts on this issue and welcomes the strong statements made by our international partners. We will continue to engage the Hong Kong SAR government, the Chinese government and international partners, reiterating the fundamental importance of upholding the rights and freedoms of all the people of Hong Kong, including the BN(O) passport holders that live there.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 June (HL16327), what discussions they have had with the United Nations to ensure that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, ratified by the governments of China and the United Kingdom in 1984 and registered with the United Nations in 1985, is adhered to.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is fully committed to upholding the legally binding Joint Declaration of 1984. In our national ‘Item 2’ statement at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council in September we re-iterated our support and call for all to respect the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, including the rights and freedoms in the Joint Declaration. We also underlined that meaningful political dialogue, under Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, is essential.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 June (HL16327), following the withdrawal of the Hong Kong extradition bill and in view of the protests in Hong Kong, what steps they are taking to ensure that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, ratified by the governments of China and the United Kingdom in 1984 and registered with the United Nations in 1985, is adhered to.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government has set out its position on the situation in Hong Kong in public and in private. We are in regular contact with the Government of China and the Hong Kong SAR Government. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary has spoken to the Hong Kong Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, and the Chinese Foreign Minister, State Councillor Wang Yi. The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK’s commitment to Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, which is guaranteed by the legally binding Joint Declaration of 1984 and enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law.
The Foreign Secretary has also spoken to a wide range of counterparts on this issue and welcomes the strong statements from our international partners.
The Prime Minister raised Hong Kong at the recent G7 meeting, where all G7 partners reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Declaration and called for an end to the violence.
We will continue to engage the Hong Kong SAR government, the Chinese government and international partners, reiterating the fundamental importance of upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the ratification of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by the governments of China and the United Kingdom in 1984 and the registration of that Declaration with the United Nations in 1985, what representations they intend to make to the United Nations about the government of Hong Kong’s proposed extradition law.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty registered with the UN. Its objectives apply to both signatories – the government of the People's Republic of China and the UK. It remains in force, and remains acutely relevant to the conduct of life in Hong Kong.
We welcome the Chief Executive's statement that she would not proceed with the second reading of the bill, if the fears and anxieties of the people of Hong Kong were not addressed. It is vital that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms set down in the Joint Declaration are respected in full.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to discuss with the government of the People's Republic of China the abstention of China in September on Russia's resolution in the UN Security Council calling for an end to the bombing of Aleppo.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Ministers and officials of the UK Government regularly meet representatives from the People's Republic of China to discuss the crisis in Syria. Most recently, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Ellwood) met Chinese Special representative for Syria Mr. Xie Xiaoyan on 18 October. Mr. Ellwood stressed the importance of fellow permanent members of the United Nations Security Council working together to help resolve the conflict.