'Hong Kong Must Not Be Forgotten in China-UK Talks', Megan Khoo

While in China this week, Starmer must directly challenge Beijing on its treatment of Hong Kong and of Hong Kongers living abroad, particularly those who now live in Britain.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are visiting China this week. This trip to China, the first by a British prime minister since 2018, is primarily a bid to boost the British economy. However, Starmer must tread carefully to avoid further undermining the U.K.’s special commitment to Hong Kong. Economic benefits must not come at the expense of the 210,000 Hong Kongers in Britain

Earlier this month, the British government approved plans for a Chinese mega-embassy in the heart of London. Despite seven years of mass and repeated protests by local residents, Hong Kongers, and other dissident groups, the U.K. has chosen to greenlight a project that poses a serious risk of transnational repression against these communities. While local residents are now raising funds to legally challenge the construction, the Labor government has made its position clear: cooperation with China for financial gain, even if it means turning a blind eye to human rights concerns.

Along with the approved embassy, Hong Kongers who fled the tightening grip of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the U.K.’s British National (Overseas) visa scheme are already at risk. The Hong Kong government continues to maintain multimillion-dollar bounties on 34 overseas Hong Kong activists who are advocating for democracy and basic human rights. Authorities also routinely target the family members of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. In February 2025, two relatives of U.K.-based activist Carmen Lau were questioned by national security police. In October 2025, Lau herself was directly targeted when her neighbors received threatening letters instructing them to hand her over to authorities in exchange for her bounty. 

The U.K. acknowledged these incidents in its latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong. These reports must not amount to lip service; they should form the basis for concrete consequences imposed on the CCP.

While in China this week, Starmer must directly challenge Beijing on its treatment of Hong Kong and of Hong Kongers living abroad, particularly those who now live in Britain. He must also urge the Chinese authorities to release British citizen Jimmy Lai, who remains in solitary confinement. Following Lai’s conviction under the National Security Law last month, concerns from his family and legal team have intensified that he may die in prison. 

Hong Kong Watch and 17 other human rights organizations wrote an open letter to Starmer ahead of the visit, urging him to “set out to Beijing clear, robust and practical consequences for China and for U.K.-China relations if he [Lai] is not released.” A cross-party letter issued by Hong Kong Watch Patron Lord Alton of Liverpool and 34 MPs and Peers echoes this call.

Along with Jimmy Lai, Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho are currently on trial for organizing peaceful Tiananmen Square Massacre vigils in Hong Kong. The plight of these political prisoners, and many others, must not be swept under the rug.

The U.K.’s recent outrage at the United States following President Donald Trump’s dismissive  remarks about British troops in Afghanistan, despite his subsequent backtracking, is no justification for cozying up to China. Doing so would only heighten risks to the U.K.’s domestic and foreign security apparatus.

As a former human rights lawyer, Keir Starmer should know what to do. He must act to protect Hong Kongers in Britain and to uphold the United Kingdom’s longstanding commitment to Hong Kong.

This article was published in The Diplomat on 28 January 2026.

Photo: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons