Solution to unrest must come from Hong Kong, not Beijing, says UK

London, June 11

The British Government has said any solution to the unrest in Hong Kong must come from the former colony itself and not from Beijing. It has urged China to reconsider a new security law that has sparked renewed protests.

Britain, along with the US, Australia and Canada, has criticised China for the new law, saying it would breach the 1984 Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong and threaten its freedoms. China has said its decisions on national security in Hong Kong were its own affair and that Britain’s link to the territory stemmed from “aggressive colonisation and unequal treaties”.

Hong Kong’s autonomy was guaranteed under the ‘one country, two systems’ agreement enshrined in the 1984 agreement signed by then Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Hong Kong was rocked by months of pro-democracy demonstrations last year, some of which turned violent, over an unsuccessful bid to introduce a law governing extradition to China. Protests have broken out again after a lull during the Covid epidemic. Britain has pledged to give British National Overseas passport-holders in Hong Kong a path to British citizenship, allowing them to settle in the UK. — Reuters

US military flight over Taiwan angers china

Beijing: China on Thursday condemned the US military for the “provocative” flight on Tuesday over Taiwan, saying the move infringed upon China’s sovereignty and contravened international law. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the US aircraft had “harmed our sovereignty, security and development rights. Reuters