What Is Britain’s Responsibility to Hong Kong?
Britain has a special relationship with Hong Kong that goes back almost a hundred years and it is still evolving through the present day. This article seeks to examine what responsibility Britain now has for the former British colony and its citizens.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, as well as a former British colony. The region was ceded to the British Empire in 1842, following the Opium War, and was returned to China in 1997 after the handover. Britain’s responsibility towards Hong Kong since the handover has been the subject of debate. As a signatory of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, Britain is seen as having a responsibility to monitor and address human rights violations in the region, while China asserts that they have the ultimate authority in the region, including overseeing human rights.
Background History
For over 150 years, Hong Kong (HK) was a British colony. By the mid-19th century, the region served as an important trading port for the British Empire. But by the 1880s, political turmoil in the area prompted a political shift; the UK and China negotiate a treaty that would cede sovereignty of HK to the British in perpetuity. 1898 marked the end of the Anglo-Chinese treaty, as a 99-year lease was signed, giving the UK control of the city-state until 1997. The UK retained its rights to the area, and over the course of the next hundred years marginal investments in infrastructure and education propelled a rise in economic and social indicators across HK.
The handover to Chinese rule in 1997
In 1984, the UK and China issued a Joint Declaration which was a binding agreement on the handover of HK. The agreement stipulated that HK would become a ‘special administrative region’ upon the end of the British lease, with a ‘high degree of autonomy.’ But in recent years, protesters have voiced concerns over an erosion of citizens’ human rights, prompting the UK to examine its obligations as signatory of the joint declaration.
What is Britain’s responsibility to Hong Kong now?
Britain’s responsibility to HK following the 1997 handover is not entirely clear; however, the UK considers itself to be morally obliged to the citizens of HK and it has condemned violations of human rights in the region. The UK has called for China to honour its commitments under the joint declaration, and for the devolution of more political power to the people of HK.
Legal Obligations
Britain is a signatory of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and as such is obligated by international law to uphold certain standards in HK. Under the joint declaration, HK is to enjoy a ‘high degree of autonomy,’ as well as freedom of speech, assembly, and the right to protest peacefully. In addition, the Sino-British Joint Declaration set out a set of core values which affirms the sanctity of human rights in HK.
Political Obligations
There is a moral imperative for the UK to honour its obligations to HK citizens. In its role as signatory of the Joint Declaration, Britain is responsible for the maintaining the universal human rights of the people of HK and this responsibility is ongoing. The UK is expected to continue to monitor human rights conditions in the area and to speak out against any violations.
Options for UK Action
The UK has a number of diplomatic options open to it should it wish to pressurise China over its treatment of the citizens of HK. These include sanctions, embargoes, or other forms of diplomatic pressure such as targeted economic measures that could be aimed at China.
Britain has an obligation to uphold the Sino-British Joint Declaration as a signatory, as well as a moral imperative to ensure that the human rights of the people of Hong Kong are not violated. In addition, Britain could use economic or diplomatic measures to pressure China into abiding by the agreement and devolving more political power to its citizens. The situation in HK is complex, and Britain’s responsibilities to the former British colony will likely remain an ongoing issue in the years to come.
