Telegraph: 'Hong Kong is a warning to the West of the failure to take China’s menace seriously ', Benedict Rogers

The fate of Britain's last colony shows the true character of the mendacious, brutal, dictatorship of Xi Jinping

Twenty-five years ago today, Hong Kong was handed over to China. In his parting speech the last Governor, Chris Patten, promised that “now, Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong”. That, he added, is the “promise” and the “unshakeable destiny”.

Today, that promise lies in tatters. The Chinese Communist Party regime in Beijing has comprehensively breached the international treaty, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which it had pledged to protect Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, fundamental freedoms, human rights and the rule of law under the “one country, two systems” principle. 

Over the past decade, and with particularly alarming speed and intensity in the past two years since the imposition of the draconian National Security Law, Hong Kong’s freedoms have been dismantled. Almost 800 political prisoners are behind bars, among them former elected legislators, journalists and civil society activists. Many have been in prison for over 18 months without trial. Press freedom, academic freedom, freedom of assembly and expression have been strangled, and religious freedom is under growing threat. More than 60 civil society organisations have shut down, and almost all independent media outlets have been closed. In May the authorities even went as far as to arrest a 90-year-old Cardinal, Joseph Zen.

Beijing’s choice of John Lee as the new Chief Executive symbolises Hong Kong’s transformation from one of Asia’s most open cities to a police state. Lee, who takes office today, knows nothing other than policing. For 35 years he was a serving police officer, and the only jobs in government he has held have been in the security bureau, before becoming Carrie Lam’s number two last year. His tenure is likely to mean even more repression.

What can we learn from this? One key lesson: the Chinese regime cannot be trusted. It is a mendacious, as well as brutal, dictatorship. Just as it breached its obligations to alert the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a timely manner to the outbreak of Covid-19 and tried to cover-up evidence of the pandemic’s origins and silence whistleblowers, and just as it breaches international maritime law in the South China Sea, the violations of the Joint Declaration show that Beijing’s signature on any agreement is hardly worth the paper it is written on.

So what should be done? While Britain has, in the end, done the right thing by opening up a generous pathway for Hong Kongers to settle in this country under the British National Overseas (BNO) scheme, we have done nothing to hold Beijing to account for violating the treaty. Providing a lifeline for Hong Kongers who need to get out and want to build a new life in freedom is vital and very welcome, but it does nothing to change the situation on the ground. We should impose sanctions on officials and entities in Beijing and Hong Kong responsible for police brutality and human rights violations. In May, 110 Parliamentarians wrote to the Foreign Secretary calling on the government to conduct an audit of the assets of Beijing and Hong Kong officials in this country, as a precursor to imposing sanctions. 

Unless the regime is made to pay a price for its actions, and face some consequences, it will only be emboldened in its repression at home and aggression abroad. We cannot allow it to get away with breaking promises and destroying Hong Kong with impunity.

This article was published on The Telegraph on 1 July 2022.