Opinion

What the UK parliamentary group’s report on Hong Kong media freedom ignored

While the group has accused China of being in breach of the Joint Declaration, it is the UK’s failure to stand up for China’s sovereignty over Hong Kong that is the real issue

Not only is the UK discussing its own national security law, the provisions of Hong Kong’s national security law are acceptable by international standards

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A woman walks past a banner promoting the national security law for Hong Kong on June 30, 2020. Photo: AP

Ronny Tong, SC, was chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association from 1999 to 2001, and was first elected a member of the Legislative Council in 2004.

Published: 11:00pm, 30 Apr 2023

The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group recently published a report on the impact of the national security law on Hong Kong’s media and concluded that: “The current situation in Hong Kong is a glaring violation of the Joint Declaration that was meant to preserve human rights guarantees cherished by the UK Government.”

Those who have read the Sino-British Joint Declaration and know what is happening on the ground in Hong Kong will no doubt have serious difficulties understanding how anyone could come to that conclusion. Perhaps politicians feel they have a licence to say what they please without regard to the facts. Even so, the accusation that China is in breach of the declaration demands examination.

First, the declaration only contains eight clauses. In the first, China declares it will resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from July 1, 1997. In the second, the UK government declares it “will restore Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China” with effect from July 1, 1997.