Anson Chan was the chief secretary in both the British colonial government of Hong Kong – de facto deputy to the last British governor, Chris Patten – and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government under the Chinese rule. She writes in "Hong Kong – betrayed by China. And abandoned by the British" in Comment is Free on The Guardian....
"One of the most profoundly disappointing responses to the events in Hong Kong has been Britain’s silence – or its weak words that have sometimes been worse than silence.
At the very least, Britain should act honourably: it has a moral and legal responsibility to Hong Kong. It did after all sign a treaty, back in 1984, that guaranteed Hong Kong’s core values and way of life, including freedom of speech and assembly, until 2047.
The truth is that money talks. Talk to British business people and their first instinct is to keep their heads low; they just want things to carry on as before, would like the protests to disappear, and maintain good relations with China. The view from the British government is not much different.
In fact, I’ve been surprised at the basic lack of knowledge at the Foreign Office. There doesn’t seem to be anybody there who knows Hong Kong, who knows what makes the place tick. Nor is there anybody who can make the argument that the interests of the Hong Kong people might also be good for British interests, indeed the interests of the world at large."
"One of the most profoundly disappointing responses to the events in Hong Kong has been Britain’s silence – or its weak words that have sometimes been worse than silence.
At the very least, Britain should act honourably: it has a moral and legal responsibility to Hong Kong. It did after all sign a treaty, back in 1984, that guaranteed Hong Kong’s core values and way of life, including freedom of speech and assembly, until 2047.
The truth is that money talks. Talk to British business people and their first instinct is to keep their heads low; they just want things to carry on as before, would like the protests to disappear, and maintain good relations with China. The view from the British government is not much different.
In fact, I’ve been surprised at the basic lack of knowledge at the Foreign Office. There doesn’t seem to be anybody there who knows Hong Kong, who knows what makes the place tick. Nor is there anybody who can make the argument that the interests of the Hong Kong people might also be good for British interests, indeed the interests of the world at large."
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