Canada-China Committee to study Hong Kong’s diplomatic and trade privileges

The Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship (CACN) adopted a motion to “conduct a study on Canada’s economic and diplomatic relations with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, including its Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), in light of Beijing’s imposition of the national security law that violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration”.

The Committee will “examine the current regulatory, diplomatic, and trade privileges granted to Hong Kong through the Canada-Hong Kong Tax Agreement Act, the bilateral Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA), and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Privileges and Immunities Order”. 

This follows Hong Kong Watch’s seminar last month on Hong Kong’s special status in the Canadian Parliament. The seminar was chaired by Hong Kong Watch’s Patron Shuvaloy Majumdar MP and focused on the evolving dynamics of Hong Kong as a backdoor for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their implications for Canada. 

The briefing upon which the seminar is based can be read here. 

Hong Kong Watch has published several briefings on the topic, including the June 2024 publication, From Hong Kong To Toronto: The CCP’s Overseas Outposts via HKETOS and October 2022 publication, PRC Embassies in Disguise: Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices are Another Overseas Arm of the CCP.

Katherine Leung, Policy Advisor for Hong Kong Watch Canada, said:

“We welcome the Canada-China Committee’s study on Hong Kong’s special status in Canada. With one country, two systems having been effectively dismantled, it is time for Canada to update its approach to Hong Kong to reflect the situation on the ground.

We have been briefing parliamentarians about Hong Kong playing a role in facilitating sanctions evasion, increased security concerns about the HKETO in Toronto, and the need to review bilateral investment agreements with Hong Kong, and we are happy to see the Committee do the right thing and examine this issue with the attention it deserves.”

加拿大國會加中關係委員會即將就香港外交及貿易特權舉行聽證會

加拿大眾議院加中關係特別委員會通過動議：「鑒於北京強推的《國家安全法》有違《中英聯合聲明》， ［決定］就加拿大與香港的經濟和外交關係展開研究，包括香港經濟貿易辦事處（經貿辦 HKETO）」。

委員會將「調查目前透過《加拿大—香港稅務協定法》、雙邊《促進和保護外國投資協定》（FIPA）和《香港經濟貿易辦事處特權及豁免權令》賦予香港的監管、外交及貿易特權」。

這項動議承接香港監察上月在加拿大國會舉辦的香港特殊地位研討會。研討會由香港監察贊助人Shuvaloy Majumdar MP主持，重點探討香港作為中國後門的演變及其對加拿大的影響。

請在這裏閱覽研討會所根據的簡報。

香港監察已就這個主題發表多份簡報，包括2024年6月出版的《From Hong Kong To Toronto: The CCP’s Overseas Outposts via HKETOS》和2022年10月出版的《PRC Embassies in Disguise: Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices are Another Overseas Arm of the CCP》。

香港監察加拿大政策顧問Katherine Leung表示：

「香港監察歡迎加中關係委員會研究香港在加拿大的特殊地位。因應一國兩制實際上已被粉碎，加拿大是時候更新對港政策來反映當地實況了。

香港監察一直向國會議員簡報香港在協助規避制裁方面的角色、香港駐多倫多經貿辦與日俱增的安全憂慮，以及有必要審視與香港簽訂的雙邊投資協定。我們樂見委員會做正確的事，以應有的關注來調查這個問題。」