UK seeks business ties on first visit to HK since crackdown

LONDON, UK - Talks on renewing Britain’s business ties with Hong Kong will be held during the first visit to the city by a British minister since China’s crackdown on Hong Kong civil rights, reported PA Media/dpa.

The government has condemned the national security law imposed by Beijing on the former British territory in 2020 after mass protests.

The move strained relations and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hong Kong residents to come to Britain.

But the British government has recently made clear that it wants to maintain engagement with China despite political differences.

Investment Minister Dominic Johnson will discuss boosting trade in financial technology (fintech) and financial services with Hong Kong government representatives.

He said he will also stress that Britain will "call out the violation of their freedoms and hold China to their international obligations”.

It comes after the highly controversial attendance of China’s Vice President Han Zheng, who has been blamed for the curtailment of freedom in the former British territory, at King Charles III’s coronation.

The decision to invite Han was strongly criticised by China hawks on the Tory benches and Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong.

The British foreign secretary said he "made plain” the British position on Hong Kong when he met with Han here ahead of the royal event.

But James Cleverly argued that Britain must engage directly with China in a recent foreign policy speech, angering some Tory critics who want ministers to go further in distancing Britain from Beijing and to be more outspoken in criticising its leadership.

Ahead of his trip, Johnson said: "Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading international finance centres, and my visit will promote cooperation in sectors where we both excel - from financial services and infrastructure to clean growth and sustainability.

"The UK’s ties with Hong Kong run deep, not only in our shared history and connection between our people but in business and our desire to succeed. For future generations, we have an obligation to engage - robustly and also constructively - and our engagement with Hong Kong is an important part of that.

"I am clear that we will not look the other way on Hong Kong or duck our historic responsibilities to its people, and that we will continue to stand up for them, call out the violation of their freedoms and hold China to their international obligations.” Britain says China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it has a duty to uphold Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights, and freedoms.

Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a "one country, two systems” framework. - BERNAMA-dpa