Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Chinese counterpart on the detainment of citizens, activists and politicians under the national security law in Hong Kong.
We have been clear that deliberate targeting of pro-democracy figures, journalists and business people under the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong is unacceptable. Actions by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including the imposition of the NSL, demonstrate China's ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration; a legally binding and international treaty China willingly entered into. As the Foreign Secretary outlined on 25 April, we are entitled to act when China breaks its international obligations and we will raise areas of disagreement with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. The Foreign Secretary did so with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on 5 May and at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February.