Sanction Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights violations

G7 Leaders Summit will take place in June. As the year's host, the United Kingdom should impose sanctions on perpetrators of human rights abuses in Hong Kong, as a way to restore public trust in democracies when the Chinese Communist Party takes an authoritarian shift in this once-autonomous city.

After the passage of the National Security Law, China imposed an electoral overhaul that introduces a screening panel for candidates and marginalises dissenting views. Democratic campaigners are mostly barred from running for office.

Most of the democratic campaigners in Hong Kong are on trial, in jail or in exile. All these persecutions on Hong Kong people are flagrant breaches of China's pledge of liberty and autonomy enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Statement.

As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China has legal obligations to uphold Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, for at least 50 years from 1997. It has breached these obligations through the imposition of the National Security Law on Hong Kong, the introduction of rules to disqualify elected Hong Kong lawmakers, and the introduction of radical changes to restrict participation in Hong Kong’s electoral system.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly targeted pro-democracy figures for prosecution. This is unacceptable and must stop. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong’s way of life, protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, and it should be upheld. The UK Government has taken three clear policy actions in response. This has included the creation of a new tailored immigration route for British Nationals (Overseas) and their immediate family members and dependants, the indefinite suspension of the UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong and the extension of the China arms embargo to include Hong Kong.

We will continue to consider sanctions designations but it is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated in the future.

We will not duck our historic responsibilities to the people of Hong Kong. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Chinese and Hong Kong Governments. We will also continue to bring together our like-minded partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their rights and freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations.