Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his assessment is of the current state of basic freedoms, the rule of law and democracy in Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement.
We assess that the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework established by the Sino-British Joint Declaration continues to function well in the vast majority of areas. Basic freedoms and the rule of law are key elements of this framework. We have highlighted in six-monthly reports from the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) to the House those areas where challenges have arisen or on which we have had concerns. The Government raises such concerns with the Chinese and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Governments. On political reform, the UK continues to encourage all parties to play their part in rebuilding constructive dialogue to pave the way for the resumption of the political reform process at the earliest opportunity.