Hong Kong treaty is no longer relevant, says China on eve of anniversary

Beijing rejects ‘one country, two systems’ agreement and says Britain has no power to enforce it

CHINA appeared dramatically to consign Britain’s responsibility to Hong Kong to history yesterday by saying a treaty signed by Margaret Thatcher which paved the way for the handover and guaranteed freedoms in the city had “no practical significance”.

The surprising remarks, which came on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the handover of the former British colony to China, relate to the 1984 joint declaration, which guarantees Hong Kong’s legal autonomy from the mainland.

The agreement established “one country, two systems” for Hong Kong, giving the city freedoms and rights that are not enjoyed on the mainland for 50 years after the 1997 handover.

Britain says that as a signatory to the agreement it is legally bound to uphold those freedoms – a position that is often repeated in Hong Kong as concerns grow that Beijing’s grip is tightening.

But hours after Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, oversaw a defiant military parade during a visit to Hong Kong, an official in Beijing said that two decades after the city had returned to the “motherland’s embrace” the bilateral treaty had become redundant.

‘The Sino-british Joint Declaration, as a historical document, no longer has any practical significance,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

“It is not at all binding for the central government’s management over Hong Kong. The UK has no sovereignty, no power to rule and no power to supervise Hong Kong after the handover.”

Beijing regularly responds to overseas criticism over its interference in Hong Kong’s legal autonomy by saying that it is the “internal” affairs of China. However, officials have not previously rejected the joint declaration outright.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said: “It is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN and continues to be in force. As a co-signatory, the UK government is committed to monitoring its implementation closely.”

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, said on Thursday that Britain’s commitment to Hong Kong, enshrined in the “treaty”, was “just as strong today” as it was 20 years ago.

Philip Hammond, Britain’s previous foreign secretary, last year accused China of committing a “serious breach” of the treaty following the abduction of five booksellers from the city.

China’s apparent rejection of the treaty would heighten anxiety in Hong Kong, where Mr Xi continued his three-day visit yesterday by inspecting the largest military parade held in the city since the handover.

That statement of authority came as protesters prepared to take to the streets for the annual July 1 handover demonstrations. Hong Kong was under security lockdown with more than 11,000 police deployed to “protect” Mr Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan, local media reported.