Britain says unrest solution lies in HK hands, not in Beijing

The British government has said any solution to the unrest in Hong Kong must come from the city and not from Beijing, and it urged China to reconsider a new security law that has sparked renewed protests, Reuters reports.

In a six-monthly report on Hong Kong, covering events from July 1 to December 31 last year, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “The solution to this unrest and its underlying causes must come from Hong Kong, and cannot be imposed from mainland China.

“Britain says the way through the current situation in Hong Kong is clear: all sides must invest in dialogue and reconciliation, underpinned by a robust, independent inquiry.”

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.

“There is still time for China to re-consider, to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and respect its own international obligations,” Raab wrote in a foreword to the report, which, he said, addressed subsequent events after the period of December 31.