Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what definition the Government has of the high degree of autonomy that Hong Kong is supposed to exercise under the terms of Article 2 of the Basic Law that came into effect in 1997; and what assessment he has made of whether Hong Kong enjoys that high degree of autonomy.

​The Sino-British Joint Declaration describes Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, and its executive, legislative and independent judicial powers.

The Foreign Secretary publishes a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Hong Kong every six months. The most recent report, covering the period July – December 2018, was laid before Parliament on 27 March.

Hong Kong's success is underpinned by its high degree of autonomy, independent judiciary and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Joint Declaration. However recent events have demonstrated increasing pressure on this high degree of autonomy and Hong Kong's rights and freedoms. It remains the British Government's view that, for Hong Kong's future success, it is essential that Hong Kong enjoys, and is seen to enjoy, the full measure of its high degree of autonomy and rule of law as set out in the Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law, in keeping with the commitment to 'One Country, Two Systems'.