Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK is taking as co-signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration to defend the freedom to protest in Hong Kong.

The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy. We regularly make this position clear to the Hong Kong and Chinese Governments, and will continue to do so, both publicly and privately.