Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the new national anthem law in China, which applies at the high-speed rail terminus in Hong Kong, and which has made it an offence to insult China’s national anthem, while failing to define such insults, will have on the human rights of Hong Kong citizens; and what assessment they have made of the implications of (1) the new Chinese national security law, and (2) proposals to change Hong Kong’s extradition laws to enable extradition from Hong Kong to the mainland.

We believe that it is fitting to show respect to any National Anthem. Whether it is necessary to enforce such respect with legislation is a matter for the Chinese and Hong Kong SAR Governments to decide. In Hong Kong freedom of speech is guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and it is vital that such freedoms are fully respected

Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law requires that Hong Kong enact laws relating to national security. We are not, however, aware of any plans to enact such legislation at the present time

We are aware of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's proposals to change the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. We have noted the concerns voiced by legal and business representative organisations and civil society groups in Hong Kong about both the content and the short consultation period allowed for the proposed changes. We have raised a number of issues with the Hong Kong Government, including the implications for both our joint security cooperation and our bilateral extradition treaty and the potential consequences for the UK business community and for UK citizens living in or travelling through Hong Kong. We will continue to seek clarity from the authorities on these points and to make clear that we would welcome a longer consultation period to allow the issues we and others have raised to be dealt with in a comprehensive way that maintains public and business confidence.

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'. ​