‘This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns’ - Felix Jakens

Ahead of the highly anticipated visit from China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is due to visit Britain  today (Thursday 13 February) to hold talks with his British counterpart David Lammy in what is being seen as a sign that relations between the countries are ‘normalising’, Felix Jakens, Amnesty’s UK Head of Campaigns, said:

“With the prospect of resuming a strategic dialogue with China for the first time since 2018, the pursuit of trade must not inhibit frank conversations on human rights, which must be central to any diplomatic engagement.

“Talk of normalising relations with China, risks a defacto endorsement of the wholly abnormal industrial-scale abuse of human rights Beijing is overseeing across China, Hong Kong and beyond. 

“David Lammy should be drawing serious red lines, rather than rolling out the red carpet when Wang Yi visits this week. 

“We need to hear a public and strong condemnation of the brutal suppression of human rights activists, which is not only limited to mainland China or Hong Kong but has also spread to the UK through the transnational targeting of students and activists who speak out here. Hong Kong’s recent issuing of ‘Wild West’-style bounties on activists’ heads in the UK indicates the authorities believe they can intimidate and silence their critics overseas with impunity. It is completely unacceptable to see this sort of international witch hunt on UK soil and the most high-level visit in years must be a time to publicly vocalise UK Government outrage.

“The Foreign Secretary also needs to forcefully challenge the Chinese government over its systematic, industrial-scale repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, including subjecting people to forced labour. 

“Mr Lammy must also demand the immediate release of Hong Kong and Chinese prisoners of conscience, including British national Jimmy Lai, human rights lawyers Chow Hang-tung and Ding Jiaxi, as well as long-held Uighur economist Ilham Tohti.

“This is an opportunity to show that the UK will not allow China to buy its silence over human rights concerns.”

Long arm of Chinese state repression  

 The Chinese authorities routinely target peaceful critics via pervasive online censorship, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and religious leaders and practitioners have been among those subjected to systematic persecution. The widespread repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet has continued despite significant international criticism. 

In Hong Kong, journalists, broadcasters and book publishers have been among those prosecuted and imprisoned under the territory’s notorious National Security Law and other repressive legislation, while civil society organisations both in Hong Kong and abroad have faced criminal charges or harassment for their legitimate activities. The long arm of Chinese state repression has meant that Chinese and Hong Kong communities in the UK, other parts of Europe and North America have all suffered various kinds of threats and intimidation, part of a sinister pattern of “transnational repression”. 

On 24 December, Hong Kong police announced a third round of HK$1million (about £105,000) bounties for information that would lead to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas whom they accused of national security crimes. To date, 19 Hong Kong overseas activists have been targeted, most of whom live in the UK.