Hong Kong Chris Patten urges PM to raise Hong Kong plight on China visit In joint letter with Paddy Ashdown, last governor warns of threats to political freedoms Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow protests outside government offices in Hong Kong on 28 January, a day after it was announced she had been banned from running for political office. These developments have been rightly criticised within Hong Kong and outside,” they wrote. A vocal critic of China’s erosion of Hong Kong’s political freedoms, he was barred from entering the former colony in October. Britain had an obligation “to monitor the protection of Hong Kong’s freedoms, at least until 2047”, when the 50-year pre-handover deal expires, they argued. “I don’t think that the outlook outside the European Union is one in which we are more likely to behave honourably towards Hong Kong than we have inside.”Speaking on Monday, Rogers, the barred activist, said it was vital for Britain to “live up to its promises to the people of Hong Kong”.

Source: The Guardian January 29, 2018 17:46 UTC