Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Chinese counterpart on the proposed Hong Kong extradition bill.

Under the 'One Country, Two Systems' model, the proposed amendments to Hong Kong's extradition legislation are a matter for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. However, the Chinese government is on record as supporting the extradition proposals.

The UK regularly raises Hong Kong at all levels with China. The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer both raised the situation there, and the importance of upholding the Joint Declaration, with Chinese Vice Premier Hu during the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in London on 16 and 17 June.

We will continue to emphasise to China the importance of upholding the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is a legally binding international treaty.