Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to reassure the people of Hong Kong that the Government remains fully committed to the Sino-British Joint Declaration and will continue to monitor the commitment to that Declaration by the Government of China.

I held a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador on 5 July in which he made clear that the UK Government did not accept the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson's position that the Joint Declaration was an historical document of no practical significance. I stressed that on this basis, as a guarantor of the Joint Declaration, the UK Government regarded it as legitimate to continue to issue a six-monthly report to Parliament on Hong Kong affairs.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing also raised HMG concerns with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 July stressing that the Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN. As a co-signatory, the UK Government is committed to monitoring its implementation closely.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Foreign Secretary issued a Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 29 June (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statements/).

The UK will continue to make clear that Hong Kong's success and stability depend on its high degree of autonomy, independent judiciary and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.