UK Foreign Office publishes latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong

Today, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has published the latest Six-Monthly Report on Hong Kong, covering developments in Hong Kong from 1 January to 30 June 2026.

The report explicitly highlights Hong Kong’s continued integration into the national development priorities of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), citing the publication of Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan and a White Paper on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong by the State Council of the PRC.

It also details the expansion of national security legislation and the prosecution of Hong Kong political prisoners under national security charges, including the 20-year prison sentence received by British citizen Jimmy Lai, and the trials of Chow Hang-tung and Joshua Wong.

In the report, the Foreign Secretary acknowledged concerns about the “expanding scope and application of national security legislation in Hong Kong and its increasing impact on freedom of expression, assembly, association and the press”, but maintained that “Hong Kong’s economic, monetary, and financial systems remained distinct from the mainland.”

Megan Khoo, Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, said:

“Despite the UK government’s recognition of China’s ongoing non-compliance with the Joint Declaration, we remain concerned that the latest six-monthly report maintains that Hong Kong retains legal and financial autonomy.

Under the continued expansion of the national security apparatus in Hong Kong and its accelerated integration into China’s national development interests, this assessment severely underestimates the ongoing erosion of rule of law and basic freedoms, which goes far beyond Hong Kong’s media environment, education system and civil society.

We urge the UK government to take into account the broadening roles of national security legislation in Hong Kong, and assess the risks on Hong Kong’s business environment and its status as an international financial hub.”

英國最新《香港半年報告》稱香港保持金融自治 香港監察促正視國安權力擴大令營商風險增加

英國外交、聯邦及發展事務部今天發表第59份《香港半年報告》，內容涵蓋2026年1月1日至6月30日的香港事態發展。

報告舉出香港首份《五年規劃》和中國國務院有關維護香港國家安全的白皮書，明確指出香港持續融入中國國家發展優先事項。

報告亦詳述國家安全法例的權力擴大和以國安罪名檢控香港政治犯的情況，包括英國公民黎智英被判監20年，以及鄒幸彤和黃之鋒的審訊。

外交大臣在報告中承認「香港國家安全法例的適用範圍擴大，不斷影響言論、集會、結社和新聞自由」，但堅稱「香港的經濟、貨幣和金融體系依然與大陸明顯不同」。

香港監察政策總監Megan Khoo表示：

「雖然英國政府承認中國持續不遵守《中英聯合聲明》，但我們仍然關注，最新一份《半年報告》維持香港保持法律和金融自治的主張。

香港國家安全體制持續擴張，並加速融入中國國家發展利益，可見上述評估嚴重低估當局對法治和基本自由的持續破壞，而這種破壞遠遠超出香港的傳媒環境、教育制度和公民社會。

我們促請英國政府考慮香港國安法例的權力不斷擴大，並評估其對香港營商環境及國際金融中心地位的風險。」

Photo: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons