Hong Kong: Human Rights

Lord Bowness Excerpts

Thursday 4th June 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bowness (Con)]

I thank my noble friend for her introduction to this debate. There has been a lot of talk about establishing an international contact group to put pressure on China to accept its legal and moral responsibilities in its actions in respect of Hong Kong. I hope that the Government will accept that suggestion and in so doing include the participating states of the OSCE, the parliamentary assembly of which I am a vice-president, since many of its states—especially in the Caucasus and Asia, although not exclusively—are crucial to the ambitions of China in its belt and silk initiative. If we do that, it may well be that an alternative to China’s support for various developments will be needed from our democracies.

I look forward to hearing from my noble friend Lord Patten of Barnes, who is giving much-needed leadership on this matter.