Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has condemned the imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
The law has been imposed by the Chinese Government and introduces a range of vague and draconian charges to Hong Kong law including ‘subversion’, ‘secession’, and ‘colluding with foreign political forces’.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration states that the Hong Kong government is to be granted a “high degree of autonomy” on all matters aside from defence and diplomacy. The Hong Kong Basic Law states that national security legislation of this type will be enacted by the Hong Kong government ‘on its own’.
Following the imposition of the law, the UK Government has announced that many eligible Hong Kong residents are to be offered the chance to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“The imposition of this law on the people of Hong Kong violates their freedoms and is a clear breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
“This is an incredibly worrying and disappointing move from the Chinese Government, which ignores Hong Kong’s unique culture and heritage.
“I welcome the UK Government’s pledge to offer British National Overseas Passport holders in Hong Kong a route to UK citizenship. It is the right thing to do in these terrible circumstances.”