Johnny Patterson
Policy Director
Hong Kong Watch
Dear all,
Please find below our latest round-up of research and analysis by the Hong Kong Watch team.
The headlines in Hong Kong: 'Brainwashing' education
Last week, the Hong Kong government announced the roll out of a new patriotic education curriculum. Children as young as six will learn about the National Security Law crimes and schools will be instructed to inform on students who chant political slogans. Natianal Security will run through the entire curriculum. Biology classes will learn about the ‘great success’ of the Chinese government response to covid-19, geography classes will affirm China’s claims in the South China Sea.
One Hong Konger told us this will push people to leave:
‘The reason why they want to leave Hong Kong is because of the children, the future of the children. The national security education announcement will be a big push factor.’
Meanwhile, the media mogul Jimmy Lai was denied bail on the grounds that the Court of Final Appeal does not hold the jurisdiction to make legal judgements on the constitutionality of the National Security Law. This judgment is a watershed which sets a precedent, meaning that Beijing can officially legislate for Hong Kong without challenge. We believe that it may be time for foreign non-permanent judges on the Court of Final Appeal to consider their position.
Mass arrests continue: you can find up to date figures on the arrests since the start of the 2019 protests here. One radio host has been charged with ‘sedition’. There will be no jury in the first National Security Law trial, only three hand-picked judges. Our January briefing (attached) details the rise of surveillance of the internet, and Beijing’s threats of a backlash in response to the BNO passport scheme.
In-depth insight: Britain's Bilateral Investment Treaty with China
UK politicians have rightly called out the EU for signing the misjudged Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, but going forwards, UK parliamentarians would be better served reviewing the UK’s own investment treaty which leaves much to be desired.
Investor dispute settlement provisions in the treaty mean that Chinese backed companies like Huawei can take the UK Government to court if they feel that it has introduced laws that directly harm its profits, particularly if these profits have been calculated to include future investments.
The investment treaty has no transparency clauses, no health and environmental clauses, no corporate social responsibility clauses, corruption clauses, or clauses related to labour standards. There is no specific carve out for public health, public interest, or for that matter national security. Read more here on why it is not fit for purpose.
In the EU: Extradition treaties and the EU-China Investment Agreement
More reasons emerge every week for European Parliamentarians to reject the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), says our Senior Policy Advisor Sam Goodman.
A recent EU-South Korea trade disputes panel ruling confirms just how weak and toothless Beijing’s vague commitment to ratify ILO conventions at an indeterminate point in the future is. The panel judgement confirms what we all feared: the deal essentially has no labour rights safeguards.
Ray Wong, a Hong Kong activist in exile, also calls for more scrutiny on EU extradition treaties with China. In a guest blog, he writes:
"Last month Bloomberg broke the news that Cyprus and Belgium have joined France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Lithuania, Romania, and Bulgaria in having active extradition treaties in force with the PRC, after Beijing finally ratified the treaties previously agreed in 2018.
This means in practical terms, if I decide to visit Brussels to speak to European parliamentarians or travel to Paris to address a rally, I could run the risk of being arrested and extradited to China to stand trial under the National Security Law."
Watch: Benedict Rogers' interview with Iain Duncan Smith
With Hong Kong’s vibrancy, “people have tasted freedom – and I don’t think they are going to let it go", says Sir Iain Duncan Smith in the latest instalment of Benedict Rogers' video series: 'In Conversation with Benedict Rogers'.
Read: Op-eds by Hong Kong Watch team