Boris Johnson: Britain is not giving up on Hong Kong

Boris Johnson said on Thursday that China had failed to keep its promises over Hong Kong as Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, visited the city in his first trip outside the mainland since Covid struck.

Mr Johnson said Britain was “not giving up on Hong Kong” on the 25th anniversary of the handover of the city to China.

“We made a promise to the territory and its people and we intend to keep it, doing all we can to hold China to its commitments,” Mr Johnson said in a video message.

“We simply cannot avoid the fact that for some time now, Beijing has been failing to comply with its obligations,” he added.

It came after Mr Xi praised Hong Kong’s rebirth “from the ashes” as he visited the former British colony with his wife, Peng Liyuan, to mark 25 years since the territory was returned to Beijing.

As the couple stepped off a high speed train to the city - closed since the pandemic began - they were greeted by schoolchildren, musicians and senior city officials, part of more than 3,000 people who were forced to quarantine and conduct daily PCR tests this week for the visit.

The pupils waved flowers and flags as they chanted, “welcome!” while lion dancers and the city’s police band performed in the background.

“Hong Kong has withstood severe tests again and again, overcoming challenges one by one,” Mr Xi said during a brief speech at the station. “After the wind and rain, Hong Kong has risen from the ashes.”

He was then spirited away to an unknown destination. Details of his trip have been kept so quiet that even a few pro-Beijing politicians reportedly complained on local radio talk shows that they had missed the chance to isolate so that they could meet him.

In a sign of his paranoia around his security and Covid arrangements, he took a train back to the southern city of Shenzhen on Thursday and stayed the night in mainland China. He was set to return on Friday for the swearing-in ceremony of new Hong Kong chief executive John Lee and his cabinet.

His presence in Hong Kong clearly signifies his backing for the city’s intense crackdown on any pro-democracy opposition through the implementation of the 2020 national security law and a draconian zero-Covid policy that has seen thousands forced out of their homes into quarantine. The West has criticised the city’s diminishing freedoms as a violation of basic human rights.

Mr Lee, an ex-police officer, as leader is largely seen as even more hawkish than his predecessor Carrie Lam.

In what is likely to be interpreted as a sign of their displeasure, Brian Davidson, Britain’s Consul General in Hong Kong, and Hanscom Smith, US Consul General, are among a number of top representatives who will not be attending the handover ceremony, sources have told The Telegraph.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, on Thursday condemned the “steady erosion of political and civil rights since the imposition of the national security law”.

“The United Kingdom’s historic commitment to Hong Kong and its people endures,” she added, saying the UK would “continue to challenge China”.

Tense mood in the city

Ahead of Friday’s event, authorities had closed off the entire downtown of the city, checking cars and only allowing VIP guests to enter two hotels that were part of Mr Xi’s so-called “closed loop”, similar to the arrangements for the Winter Olympics.

No-fly zones were imposed over large areas and the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong boasted that it was ready for any violence. Journalists from international and local media including the wire services were banned from attending.

It was a far cry from the last time Mr Xi visited in 2017, when tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets.

Instead, despite Chinese and Hong Kong flags being strung along some streets in an effort to create a festive atmosphere, the security restrictions coupled with heavy rain made for a tense mood in the city on Thursday.

With criticism of Mr Xi now punishable with life imprisonment under the national security law, many took to social media to vent about the severe resulting traffic jams instead.

“The president when coming to Hong Kong should have wanted to be considerate towards the people and minimise the effects of these arrangements on the citizens,” said Ray Au Chun Wah, a pan-democrat ex-district councillor.

Another local politician put it more bluntly.

“The power of one man can paralyse the traffic of an entire city,” said Johnny Chung Lai Him, a district councillor.