Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the National Security Curriculum in Hong Kong.

Article 10 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, requires the Hong Kong authorities to promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media and the internet. As the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement of 1 July 2020, this legislation constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its rights and freedoms. Separately, in his Foreword to the UK Government's Six Monthly Report on Hong Kong covering the period 1 January to 31 July 2020, the Foreign Secretary noted that the chilling effects of the National Security Law were already being seen in Hong Kong, including damaging freedom of expression in academia and schools.

As a co-signatory to the Joint Declaration, we have a duty to speak out when we have concerns. We will continue to bring together our international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations it freely assumed under international law.