New Hong Kong Watch report warns of exploitation of Hong Kong’s special status

Hong Kong Watch launches a major new report today on the erosion and exploitation of Hong Kong’s autonomy under ‘one country, two systems’ by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Entitled The Limits of Autonomy: a review of Hong Kong’s special status under ‘one country, two systems’, the report analyses the legal basis for Hong Kong’s ‘high degree of autonomy’ under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, and examines the ways in which this autonomy has been eroded by the PRC since 2020.

The report also warns of an increasing exploitation of Hong Kong’s special status in national-level law and international organisations, where Hong Kong is often treated differently and preferentially to the PRC based on an understanding of its ‘high degree of autonomy’. The report highlights the ways in which Hong Kong representatives increasingly align with PRC attempts to stifle Taiwanese representation in international organisations and the participation of human rights NGOs in periodic reviews at the United Nations.

Launched today in the European Parliament in Brussels, the new report will be presented later this month at launch events in the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, the Houses of Parliament in London and the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.

Authored by Hong Kong Watch Senior Research and Policy Advisor Thomas Benson, the report is based on interviews with lawyers, journalists and academics, and conducts an in-depth analysis of the impact of Hong Kong’s national security laws on its autonomy under ‘one country, two systems’. 

The report contains several recommendations for policymakers in the UK, US, Canada and EU. In particular, the report recommends that: 

  • The UK government, in line with the provisions of Draft Article 49 of the Draft Articles on State Responsibility, should announce a comprehensive review of possible countermeasures against the PRC in response to repeated breaches of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. 

  • The US government should review and where appropriate abolish ‘sense of the Congress’ resolutions codified within relevant legislation and policy documents, where such documents contain language treating or regarding Hong Kong as having a high degree of autonomy from Mainland China. 

  • All governments should announce a comprehensive review of consular privileges and immunities granted to Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in their respective jurisdictions. 

  • All governments should coordinate with UN allies to organise and conduct an Arria-formula meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the erosion of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. 

  • All governments should issue a joint call for a UN Special Envoy to monitor Hong Kong’s political autonomy and human rights situation. 

  • All governments should implement a policy of parity between Hong Kong and PRC officials regarding invitations to participate in official fora on issues touching policing, anti-corruption, national security, etc. 

You can read the full report here. 

Thomas Benson, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, said: 

“Since 2017, Hong Kong Watch has been warning about the erosion of Hong Kong’s ‘high degree of autonomy’ as promised under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. Following the 2020 National Security Law and the 2024 ‘Article 23’ Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, it is tempting to say that Hong Kong’s autonomy is simply no more. But as our report shows, autonomy brings with it economic and diplomatic benefits which the PRC is loath to lose.

The new national security era in Hong Kong is not simply about totally eroding autonomy; it is about strategically dismantling its political freedoms while exploiting Hong Kong’s special status as a ‘highly autonomous’ region for diplomatic and economic benefit. Policymakers should be aware of this exploitation, and take steps to address it at both the national and international level.”

新香港監察報告警告國際社會 中國利用香港特殊地位謀取外交及經濟利益

香港監察今天發表重要新報告，主題圍繞中國在「一國兩制」下損害並利用香港自治。報告題為《The Limits of Autonomy: a review of Hong Kong’s special status under ‘one country, two systems’》，分析了香港根據《中英聯合聲明》和《基本法》享有「高度自治」的法律基礎，並審視了2020年起中國損害香港自治的方式。

報告亦警告，香港特殊地位在國家級法律和國際組織中愈來愈被利用，出於對香港「高度自治」的理解，香港往往受到有別於中國的優惠待遇。報告強調，香港代表與中國的口徑愈趨一致，企圖壓制台灣在國際組織的代表權，以及阻止人權非政府組織參與聯合國定期審議。

這份新報告今天率先在布魯塞爾歐洲議會發布，另將於本月稍後時間在渥太華加拿大國會、倫敦英國國會和美國華盛頓哈德遜研究所（Hudson Institute）發布。

報告由香港監察資深研究及政策顧問湯柏森（Thomas Benson）根據對律師、記者和學者的採訪撰寫，深入分析香港國家安全法例對「一國兩制」下香港自治的影響。

報告向英國、美國、加拿大和歐盟的政策制訂者提出多項建議。報告特別建議：

  • 英國政府應根據《國家責任條款草案》（Draft Articles on State Responsibility）第49條的規定，宣布全面檢視因應中國一再違反1984年《中英聯合聲明》可能採取的反制措施。

  • 美國政府應檢視並在適當情況下廢除相關法例和政策文件中編纂的「國會意見」（sense of the Congress）決議，這些文件含有將香港視為或認為香港享有獨立於中國大陸高度自治的語言。

  • 各國政府應宣布全面檢視香港經濟貿易辦事處在其司法管轄區享有的領事特權和豁免權。

  • 各國政府應與聯合國盟國協調，籌劃並召開聯合國安全理事會阿里亞辦法會議（Arria-formula meeting），討論香港高度自治受損問題。

  • 各國政府應發出聯合呼籲，要求聯合國特使監察香港的政治自治和人權狀況。

  • 各國政府應在邀請參加涉及警務、反貪污、國家安全等議題的官方論壇方面，實行港、中官員同等政策。

請在此處閱覽報告全文。

香港監察資深研究及政策顧問湯柏森表示：

「香港監察自2017年起，已經開始警告香港獲《中英聯合聲明》和《基本法》承諾享有的『高度自治』正被損害。2020年《國家安全法》和2024年《維護國家安全條例》（俗稱『23條』）落實後，我們很容易認為香港自治已經不復存在。但正如我們的報告所顯示，香港自治帶來經濟及外交利益，而這些利益是中國不願失去的。

香港國安新時代不單關乎徹底損害自治，更關乎策略式摧毀政治自由，同時利用香港作為『高度自治』地區的特殊地位謀取外交及經濟利益。政策制訂者理應意識到這種利用香港特權的手法，並在國家及國際層面採取措施應對。」

Photo: Andrew Wulf on Unsplash

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