Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to call for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Hong Kong.

As the Foreign Secretary said in Parliament on 1 July, the adoption by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing of a wide-ranging national security law for Hong Kong is a grave and deeply disturbing step. The enactment of this legislation, imposed by Beijing on the people of Hong Kong, constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Joint Declaration.

The UK has already raised Hong Kong in the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council. We are focused on giving voice to the widespread international concerns on Hong Kong, and to working closely with international partners to call on China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities. Whilst formal mechanisms have proved helpful in other contexts in focusing the international community's attention, we judge that pursuing such an option at this time risks providing China an opportunity to frustrate and obstruct progress, undermining our objectives. We do not, though, rule out any diplomatic options and will keep the issue under review. We will also continue to work actively within international institutions and through multilateral groupings to urge China to uphold its international commitments, including the Joint Declaration.