The United Kingdom will stand by the people of Hong Kong and provide an “alternative” if China moves forward with imposing a national security law on the city that critics fear will infringe on Hong Kong’s autonomy.
China’s legislature last week moved forward with the law on Hong Kong that would allow Chinese intelligence and security forces to be based inside the district for the first time, and seeks to address terrorism, secession and foreign interference in the city.
The proposal of the law sparked widespread protests in the city as thousands of Hong Kong residents took to the streets, and has since been condemned by democracies around the world.
“Hong Kong succeeds because its people are free,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in a Wednesday op-ed for The London Times.
Critics of the legislation, which include the U.S. and U.K., have claimed that it will erode Hong Kong’s freedoms granted under a 1997 treaty between Britain and China that bound Beijing’s communist rulers to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy as a special administrative region and to leave its liberal economy and government for 50 years under the formulation “one country, two systems.”
“If China proceeds, this would be in direct conflict with its obligations under the joint declaration, a legally binding treaty registered with the United Nations,” Mr. Johnson said.
“Many people in Hong Kong fear that their way of life - which China pledged to uphold - is under threat,” he continued.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday said that the national security law is in violation of the principle, and said the U.K. is ready to form an alliance with western countries to resist China’s implementation of the law if Beijing moves forward.
“If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away,” Mr. Johnson said, “instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative.”
It remains unclear when China plans to impose the law, but it is expected to be enforced by September.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.