'I was one of the first Westerners banned from Hong Kong. This is what it was like', Benedict Rogers
We need to affirm our liberal and democratic values by standing up to China’s brutal regime
The decision by Hong Kong authorities to deny British Member of Parliament Wera Hobhouse entry takes the draconian crackdown in the city to an absurd and outrageous new level.
Ms Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, is the first British MP ever to be refused entry to Hong Kong. Yet all she wanted to do was visit her son, who lives in the city, and meet her new-born grandson for the first time.
I feel profound sympathy for and empathy with Ms Hobhouse; in October 2017 I had exactly the same experience. I flew into Hong Kong, approached the immigration counter in the usual way, and handed over my passport. A young immigration officer typed my details into the computer. Before she even said anything, I could tell from the expression on her face that there was a problem.
She called her supervisor and I was taken aside. For a few moments I was left alone in a corridor while they searched for the key to the room where they would interrogate me. I had just enough time to call the British Consulate and another key local contact to sound the alarm. Then I was questioned and escorted by a group of immigration officers to a plane.
I was one of the very first Westerners to be denied entry to Hong Kong, and my case was raised in both Houses of Parliament. Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, issued a statement and summoned the Chinese ambassador. Pro-democracy legislators in Hong Kong protested on the floor of the legislative council.
At the time, although the city’s freedoms and autonomy were being slowly eroded, Hong Kong still had some semblance of democracy, the rule of law, press freedom and basic human rights.
The complete dismantling of Hong Kong’s liberties did not come until Beijing’s imposition of the National Security Law in 2020; this was in direct violation of China’s commitments, at the time of the handover from British rule in 1997, to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic freedoms.
The difference between my case and Ms Hobhouse’s is that I had been very outspoken about human rights and was visiting the city to meet pro-democracy activists. I had campaigned for the release of Hong Kong’s first political prisoners – Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow – who had been jailed in August 2017. I had condemned their unjust imprisonment, and had organised statements by politicians, diplomats and lawyers from around the world in support of them.
And I had received some prior warning, via an intermediary, that the Chinese regime had learned of my visit and were urging me not to go. I had not publicised my visit, but news of it had been leaked to or intercepted by Beijing.
I sought advice, both from key British political figures and prominent Hong Kong contacts, all of whom told me that they thought Beijing was bluffing, that Hong Kong still had autonomy, and that the likelihood that I would be denied entry was small.
But, they added, if I was refused entry, this would be a sign that Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy were threatened, and the world should know. The only way to find out was to go.
Ms Hobhouse, by comparison, had been mild in her criticisms of Beijing – and had only occasionally spoken about Hong Kong in Parliament. Her intended visit was purely personal – as a grandmother, who wished to hold her three-month old grandson. She had received no prior warning that her position or track record as an MP would cause any problem.
Over the eight years since I was barred from Hong Kong, the city has changed beyond all recognition. I had lived and worked as a journalist in Hong Kong for the first five years after the 1997 handover of the territory to China. During those years, Beijing largely kept its promise to uphold Hong Kong’s freedoms under the principle of “one country, two systems”.
Freedom of expression and freedom to protest continued. I wrote and published articles critical of both Beijing and the Hong Kong government in local newspapers. Today, if I were still in Hong Kong, none of those articles would ever be published, and I would be arrested for writing them.
Over 1,000 political prisoners are in jail in Hong Kong today, including the 77-year-old British citizen and prominent media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai; at least forty-five former pro-democracy legislators and activists; and the barrister Chow Hang-tung. They are in prison for such “crimes” as lighting a candle or saying a prayer at a vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre, participating in peaceful protests, or organising a primary election to choose candidates to stand for the legislative council.
Wearing a T-shirt with a political slogan in Hong Kong can land you in jail today. Chu Kai-pong is serving 14 months on precisely that charge. Posting anti-government comments on social media, or even “liking” a post, can lead to arrest. Many books deemed to be politically sensitive have been removed from libraries and bookshops.
Almost all independent media has been shut down. Hong Kong’s transition from one of Asia’s most open societies to one its most repressive police states is complete.
For too long, we have been complacent about the threats posed by Beijing to British citizens. Four years ago, five British MPs were sanctioned by China for speaking out about human rights. Cyber attacks and espionage in Parliament by China have been revealed by UK intelligence agencies. And now an MP has been barred from visiting her family in Hong Kong. This is a paranoid and brutal regime which directly threatens our freedoms and security.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy must make a robust protest to Beijing about Ms Hobhouse’s treatment and demand answers. But more than that, the Government should re-think its approach to China. The regime in Beijing is no friend, nor is it a reliable trading partner. Now is not the time to be kowtowing to Beijing. It is time to stand up for our values.
This article was published in The Telegram on 14 April 2025.