UK: Defend the rule of law and human rights during China visit

As Rachel Reeves, the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer, begins her visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), ARTICLE 19 and partner organisations appealed to her to take concrete action to deter the PRC and Hong Kong governments' escalating human rights violations and transnational repression, and to prioritise human rights in her discussions with PRC officials.

The letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer follows.

Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP
1 Horse Guards Road
Westminster
London
SW1A 2HQ

10 January 2025

Dear Chancellor,

In light of your upcoming visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), we, ARTICLE 19, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK), Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), Hong Kong Watch. and Fight for Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong write to express our deep concern with efforts to normalise economic engagement despite ongoing serious human rights concerns. We urge the government to take concrete action to deter the PRC and Hong Kong governments' escalating human rights violations and transnational repression by prioritising human rights in your discussions with PRC officials

In Parliament on Wednesday, members of the Conservative, Liberal Democrats, and other parties, called on you to cancel your trip. It sends a troubling signal, in particular, at a time when the situation in Hong Kong continues to deteriorate.

Despite the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in December 2024, which enshrined human rights and fundamental freedoms into Hong Kong law, the Hong Kong government is intensifying its political prosecutions and campaign of transnational repression.

In the past decade, Hong Kong has experienced one of the biggest declines in ARTICLE 19's Global Expression Report. On Christmas Eve (24 December 2024) alone, Hong Kong issued a new round of arrest warrants accompanied by HK$1 million (£105,100) bounties under the National Security Law targeting four activists residing in the UK. Such actions violate human rights and undermine the safety of those who have sought refuge in the UK. We ask you to raise these human rights concerns as a highest priority in upcoming ministerial exchanges with your Chinese counterpart, to make the case that exporting authoritarianism has no place on British soil.

The UK has long championed democratic values and human rights on the global stage. However, we are concerned that recent actions indicate a troubling shift in priorities, with trade considerations seemingly outweighing the imperative to uphold these values. The resumption of the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue - suspended since 2019 - should only proceed under clear and enforceable conditions after China Audit has completed, including measurable improvements in human rights and freedoms for Hong Kongers. Without these guarantees, re-engagement risks legitimising the PRC's actions and undermining the UK's moral and diplomatic standing.

We also reiterate concerns over the role of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETO) in London and elsewhere. While ostensibly serving to promote business and bilateral relations between the UK and Hong Kong, in practice the London HKETO effectively operates as an undisclosed PRC embassy, as noted in recent research by HKW and HKDC . The HKETO promotes information manipulation designed to soften Hong Kong's image in the UK and elsewhere, and to support the National Security Law and Safeguarding National Security Ordinance amid the ongoing crackdown against Hong Kongers in Hong Kong and around the world.

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of the hundreds of political prisoners unjustly detained in Hong Kong, including British citizen Jimmy Lai who has remained in solitary confinement for over four years, and the 45 pro-democracy advocates who received jail sentences ranging from four to ten years on 24 November 2024. The UK has a responsibility to lead by example in defending the rule of law, human rights, and democratic principles. We ask that you deliver a strong and unequivocal message to the PRC that its actions toward the people of Hong Kong, others persecuted in China, and against the diaspora, including those residing in the UK, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Rather than rewarding this abusive behaviour with trade and investment deals, we ask that you stand firm on ongoing rights violations and that they will be met with concrete accountability measures including targeted financial sanctions.

We call on you to defend these values while meeting PRC officials.

Yours sincerely,

ARTICLE 19
Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong
Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Democracy Council
Hong Kong Watch

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