UK's Hunt Stresses Joint Declaration, HK Autonomy

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

"); });
2019-07-01 HKT 02:30
The British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has stressed the UK government's commitment to the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and urged Beijing to uphold Hong Kong's autonomy.
In a message timed for the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese administration, Hunt pointed to recent protests in the SAR to stress the need to uphold the agreement.
"It is a legally-binding treaty and remains as valid today as it did when it was signed and ratified over thirty years ago," he wrote in a message posted on the UK government website.
Beijing has previously cast doubt on the relevance of the Joint Declaration, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang declaring in 2017 that it was a "historical document" that no longer had any practical significance.
Hunt added: "It is imperative that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people, are fully respected in line with the Joint Declaration and the Hong Kong Basic Law.
"We have made our position on this clear to the Chinese Government, both publicly and in private, and will continue to do so."
He said Britain would continue to build on its "rich and wide-ranging" ties with Hong Kong.
Hunt is one of two contenders to be Britain's next prime minister. He will face off against his predecessor, Boris Johnson, in a ballot of members of the ruling Conservative Party.
2025 Hong Kong Fintech Report: What You Need To Know
Hong Kong is hitting the gas when it comes to fintech innovation, regulation and adoption. From the passage of the Stab... Read more
DigiFT Secures SFC Licenses To Offer Tokenised Asset Services In Hong Kong
DigiFT, a Singapore-based digital asset platform focused on institutional-grade tokenised real-world assets (RWAs), has... Read more
JCB Contactless Cards Now Accepted On Shanghai And Beijing Subways
Japan’s JCB has announced that JCB cardholders can now use their contactless cards to access the subway systems in Sh... Read more
Hong Kong Sets Out Next Phase Of Digital Asset Policy
Hong Kong’s Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) has issued an updated policy statement setting out the ... Read more
Hong Kong Overtakes Singapore In Wealthtech Adoption
Across Asia-Pacific (APAC)’s key wealth management hubs, Hong Kong is emerging as the frontrunner in wealthtech, over... Read more
Chinas AI Capex To Hit 700 Billion Yuan In 2025 Amid US Tech Rivalry
Capital expenditure on AI in China is expected to reach between 600 billion yuan and 700 billion yuan (US$84 billion to... Read more