John Cushnahan: Horrifying repression in Hong Kong is being met with silence - it's time for the UK to show political leadership

Their only crime had been to campaign for more democracy being introduced in Hong Kong.

When Hong Kong was handed back to China under the Sino-British Treaty which was signed in July 1984 by the United Kingdom and China, this international treaty set out the conditions (including moves towards more democracy) under which Hong Kong was to be transferred to China and for the governance of the territory after 1st July 1997. Therefore, the actions of those that were being jailed was in keeping with the treaty’s objectives yet they were now being charged with subversion.

This became possible after China (supported by its political puppets in Hong Kong) passed the repressive National Security Law on Hong Kong in June 2020 and were now using Article 23 of that heinous act.

The harsh prison sentences that were imposed were met with an insufficient reaction from world superpowers and even more disappointingly from international journalists whose Hong Kong colleagues had also been given long prison sentences.

Obviously encouraged by the deafening silence from the international superpowers on China’s actions, China has now further increased its repressive actions. Within the last week, it has decided to target Hong Kong pro- democracy supporters not only in Hong Kong but wherever they lived in the world.

Hong Kong police announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas on Tuesday with bounties set at one million Hong Kong dollars (£102,000) for information leading to their arrests.

According to the warrants, the six are wanted for national security offences such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.

They include Tony Chung, the former leader of the now-defunct pro-independence group Student- localism, the UK-based Carmen Lau, a former district councillor and current activist with the Hong Kong Democracy Council, as well as Chloe Cheung, an activist with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong who also had warrants issued against them.

Others on the list on Tuesday were Chung Kim-wah, a former senior member of the independent polling organisation Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute; Joseph Tay, co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station; and YouTuber Victor Ho.

The latest round of arrest warrants which totalling 19 is a particularly sinister development which signals that the Hong Kong government is widening its list of targets to include pro-democracy critics who reside outside Hong Kong itself including two who were actually Canadian citizens, one of whom lives in the UK.

Previous arrest warrants and bounties had also been issued for more prominent activists which included former politicians Ted Hui and Nathan Law.

The international superpowers should take careful note of the response of the previously mentioned Ms Lau who called on governments, including the UK, US and EU countries, to “impose sanctions on Hong Kong human rights perpetrators without further delay” and urged democracies to support Hong Kong’s right to self-determination.

I have shared these views for some time. Issuing mere statements of condemnation, while welcome, fall on deaf ears in Beijing. They must be accompanied by strong actions which punish China for tearing up the Sino-British Treaty which established the ‘one country, two systems’.

I do not argue for the use of military power. I believe it is the use of economic power that will have the most impact.

I have said on previous occasions, when I was critical of China, that its primary objective, at this point in time, is to be the world’s primary economic power. Preventing this happening by imposing financial sanctions is the more effective way of forcing them to change their current repressive policy in relation to Hong Kong.

The newly elected government in the UK has both a major responsibility and a critically important role to play in this strategy. Not only is it a powerful economic world power – it is also a joint signatory to the Sino-British Treaty under which Hong Kong was handed back to China. It should use its economic muscle to force China to discharge the obligations to which it signed up under that treaty.

Northern Ireland politicians have a role to play in ensuring this happens, particularly their 17 Westminster MPs. Furthermore, the Northern Ireland Assembly could also join them by passing a resolution supporting such a course of action.

If the UK government showed the necessary courageous and political leadership then they would have the moral authority to call on EU countries to follow their lead.

Up to now, both the UK and the European Union have abandoned fundamental honourable principles.

They have instead given priority to their respective selfish economic trading interests rather than supporting the defence of human rights in Hong Kong as set out in Sino British Treaty.

It is time for that to be changed.

• John Cushnahan, Ex Alliance Party leader and Fine Gael MEP, Former European Parliament Rapporteur on Hong Kong 1997 -2004.​