UK Foreign Secretary must urge Chinese Foreign Minister to end transnational repression against Hong Kongers in Britain
Today, as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in London, Hong Kong Watch urges him to press for the cessation of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) campaign of transnational repression against the UK’s Hong Kong community. We also urge the Foreign Secretary to call for the release of British citizen Jimmy Lai and all political prisoners in Hong Kong.
This meeting comes amid escalating concerns over the CCP’s suppression of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and its harassment of dissidents abroad. On Christmas Eve 2024, the Hong Kong government issued another round of arrest warrants and HK$1 million (£102,600) bounties against pro-democracy activists who now live in the UK. Most recently, the Hong Kong community is very concerned about the proposed Chinese super embassy in London, as it poses a direct threat to the UK’s national security and the safety of overseas Hong Kongers and other diaspora communities.
The British Foreign Secretary must take the threat of transnational repression seriously, and act accordingly. This includes not only raising these topics during his meeting with Wang Yi today but placing diplomatic pressure on China through preventing the establishment of a Chinese super embassy as well as issuing targeted sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights violations, including Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee.
Wang Yi has been a vocal defender of China’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, the repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and aggressive policies towards Taiwan. Under his leadership, the Chinese government has escalated diplomatic threats and retaliatory sanctions against foreign officials and activists advocating for human rights and democracy, including those in the UK.
As Wang Yi’s visit presents a crucial opportunity to address urgent concerns around transnational repression and Hong Kong political prisoners, Hong Kong Watch urges the UK government to reaffirm its commitment to defending democracy, human rights, and the safety of Hong Kongers who call the UK home.
Megan Khoo, Policy Director of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“Foreign Secretary David Lammy must make it clear to Wang Yi that the UK will not tolerate the Chinese Communist Party’s tactics of transnational repression, including direct threats against UK-based critics of the regime.
The UK government has a moral and legal obligation to stand up for the hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers who now live in Britain, as well as Jimmy Lai who has been unjustly imprisoned for 1,500 days for his commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
中國外交部長訪問倫敦 英國外相必須促請停止跨國鎮壓在英港人
今天正值英國外交大臣林德偉（David Lammy）會晤訪問倫敦的中國外交部長王毅，香港監察促請他要求停止中國共產黨針對英國香港社群的跨國鎮壓。我們亦促請外相呼籲釋放英國公民黎智英和所有香港政治犯。
外界對中共打壓香港基本自由及騷擾海外異見人士的憂慮與日俱增，今次會談就是在這個背景下舉行。2024年平安夜，香港政府公布新一輪通緝名單，懸紅100萬港元（102,600英鎊）通緝六名海外港人，當中包括現居英國的社運人士。最近，香港社群非常擔心中國選址倫敦舊皇家鑄幣廠興建超級大使館的計劃，因這對英國國家安全和海外港人及其他離散社群的安全構成直接威脅。
英國外相必須嚴正看待跨國鎮壓的威脅，並採取相應行動。這不但包括今天與王毅會面時提出這些話題，而且包括透過阻止中國興建超級大使館，以及點名制裁香港特首李家超等侵害人權的中國和香港官員，向中國施加外交壓力。
王毅訪英是處理跨國鎮壓和香港政治犯這些緊迫問題的重要機會，香港監察因而呼籲英國政府重申其捍衛民主、人權和居英港人安全的承諾。