Studying Tom Baldwin’s biography of Keir Starmer, our new Prime Minister’s ardour for human rights comes via clearly. Not merely as authorized idea, however the methods during which it impacts folks’s lives. And his willingness to go the additional mile to defend human rights – involving many abroad visits to components of Africa and the Commonwealth, for instance, to defend loss of life penalty circumstances – is spectacular.
Lower than every week after he took workplace, Starmer travelled to Washington, DC for the NATO Summit, the place he pledged to be ‘strong’ on human rights in China. That may be a welcome promise, and one which – given his observe document – I don’t doubt is in keeping with his values. The query now’s what does that imply in follow?
There are a lot of points in China which Starmer’s new authorities ought to tackle. I wish to see them be ‘strong’ in attempting to cease the genocide of the Uyghurs, the atrocities in Tibet, the persecution of Christians and Falun Gong, and the crackdown on dissidents, attorneys, bloggers, journalists and civil society throughout China. However there may be one difficulty for which the UK has a specific ethical accountability, and on which to this point Starmer and his authorities has stated little: Hong Kong.
I hope we’ll hear information from them on this space quickly. And that in case they’re searching for concepts, I’ve ten ideas for them.
First, I warmly welcome the appointment of Catherine West as Parliamentary Below Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific. She is aware of the area first-hand, understands the temporary and has an extended observe document of talking up for Hong Kong in addition to different human rights points in China. She was a founding Patron of Hong Kong Watch, the organisation I co-founded in 2017, and solely stepped down this month upon her welcome appointment as a minister.
And but, there are two considerations right here.
Though I drastically admire Catherine, I’m wondering why we don’t hear extra from the Prime Minister or the International Secretary on what’s one among our greatest overseas coverage challenges, China, and one among our biggest ethical duties, Hong Kong?
Additionally, Catherine’s predecessor in the identical temporary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, was a Minister of State and certainly a former cupboard minister. I’m wondering why somebody with the expertise and information that Catherine has, who was the Shadow Minister of State, was not given the identical seniority within the new authorities? I would love the temporary, with Catherine in it, to be promoted to Minister of State on the earliest alternative.
Second, I welcome the truth that the federal government may have an audit of China coverage, throughout Whitehall. That is one thing I’ve lengthy advocated and is lengthy overdue. However the overview should not be a smokescreen or an excuse to kick the problem into the lengthy grass. It should be complete however fast. It should be clear and inclusive, and interact diaspora communities within the UK – notably Hong Kongers, but in addition Uyghurs and Tibetans – and human rights organisations. On the finish of this overview, Starmer ought to give a keynote speech setting out the federal government’s China coverage – together with its strategy to Hong Kong.
Third, the final authorities deserves credit score for introducing the British Nationwide Abroad (BNO) scheme, which offered a lifeline for a whole lot of 1000’s of Hong Kongers to depart Hong Kong and construct a brand new life in freedom within the UK. The brand new authorities should sign its clear help for this scheme’s continuation, and establish methods to develop it to those that don’t at the moment qualify for it. That is notably related for these born earlier than 1997 who could have been eligible however whose dad and mom didn’t register them for it. I hope the brand new authorities will examine Hong Kong Watch’s proposals on this regard.
Fourth, sanction these chargeable for dismantling Hong Kong’s freedoms. Meaning focused sanctions in opposition to Beijing and Hong Kong officers immediately chargeable for the crackdown on human rights. This was the one step the final authorities by no means took – however one which is lengthy overdue. Sanction Hong Kong’s Chief Government John Lee, as Hong Kong Watch argued in a submission to the International Workplace a 12 months in the past, and sanction others chargeable for brutal repression.
Fifth, name repeatedly for the quick and unconditional launch of British citizen Jimmy Lai. Lai is a 76 year-old entrepreneur, founding father of the Apple Each day newspaper and pro-democracy campaigner who has spent over three and a half years in jail and is at the moment on trial underneath Hong Kong’s draconian Nationwide Safety Regulation, which might see him die in jail. Starmer and Lammy ought to meet on the earliest alternative with Lai’s son Sebastien, as David Cameron did final December, and repeatedly and vocally demand Lai’s launch.
Sixth, for younger Hong Kongers who’re within the UK as BNOs and wish to go to school, cost them residence charges. At the moment, they’re answerable for worldwide tuition charges, despite the fact that they’re within the UK and on observe to develop into British residents. The Scottish authorities has modified this, permitting Hong Kongers who’ve been in Scotland for 3 years to be eligible for residence charges. I hope the brand new Training Secretary will learn Hong Kong Watch’s briefing on this and introduce UK-wide modifications accordingly.
Seventh, put strain on pension suppliers, particularly HSBC and Customary Chartered, who’re doing the Chinese language Communist Get together’s soiled work by blocking exiled Hong Kongers’ entry to their hard-earned retirement financial savings. This primarily impacts Hong Kong BNO standing holders, who’ve been denied the correct to withdraw their financial savings from Hong Kong’s Obligatory Provident Fund (MPF) when leaving Hong Kong, however current stories recommend different pro-democracy exiled Hong Kong activists have additionally been affected. The final Governor of Hong Kong Lord Patten has written to ministers and the banks, and I hope Starmer will grip this pressing difficulty.
Eighth, take transnational repression significantly. It was one thing the final Safety Minister Tom Tugendhat, now operating for the Conservative Get together management, was making headway on. I hope this is a matter his successor Dan Jarvis, and the Dwelling Secretary Yvette Cooper, will sort out. Guarantee that Hong Kongers within the UK who really feel threatened – whether or not at protests, by infiltration by Chinese language brokers or on account of the Hong Kong authorities issuing arrest warrants and bounties – obtain the safety measures required for them to really feel protected right here.
Ninth, associated to the final level, overview the standing of the Hong Kong Financial and Commerce Workplace, which immediately capabilities merely as a second outpost for the Chinese language Communist Get together’s embassy and as a hub for Chinese language transnational repression and espionage. It now not represents Hong Kong’s autonomy, which has been dismantled; as an alternative it represents Beijing’s thuggery. Why will we give Xi Jinping’s regime a number of diplomatic outposts?
And tenth, given Starmer’s love of worldwide regulation, might he not overview what actions could possibly be taken to carry China to account for its blatant violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a world treaty registered on the United Nations and nonetheless legitimate till 2047?
There are a lot of different issues that could possibly be steered, however I hope this provides the Prime Minister and his authorities one thing to replicate on over the summer time recess – and to behave on with urgency. Among the many many challenges the brand new authorities faces, it should sign early on that it’s going to communicate up for human rights in Hong Kong and assist Hong Kongers within the UK.
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