United Kingdom

Ahead of Rachel Reeves’ expected visit to China, which comes in the wake of arrest warrants being issued for Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the UK, Amnesty International has urged the Chancellor to challenge the Chinese authorities over their brutal suppression of human rights and to ensure that human rights are central to any deals or agreements made during the trip.

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“The Chancellor must challenge Beijing’s brutal suppression of human rights, including its persecution of Chinese and Hong Kong activists in the UK,", said Polly Truscott, Amnesty International’s UK Foreign Policy Adviser.

“Behind closed doors and in public, Ms Reeves needs to challenge the Chinese government over its systematic, industrial-scale repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet - including forced labour - and its widespread imprisonment of peaceful activists."

Amnesty also urges Ms Reeves to "demand the immediate release of British national and prisoner of conscience Jimmy Lai, human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung and the 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists recently convicted of ‘conspiring to subvert state power’ in the city’s largest national security trial.”

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The Chinese authorities routinely target peaceful critics via pervasive online censorship, arbitrary arrest, detention and torture. Human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists and religious leaders and practitioners have been among those subjected to systematic persecution. The widespread repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet has continued despite significant international criticism.

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On 24 December, Hong Kong police announced a third round of HK$1million (about £105,000) bounties for information that would lead to the arrest of six democracy advocates based overseas whom they accuse of national security crimes. To date, 19 Hong Kong overseas activists have been targeted, most of whom live in the UK.