One of Hong Kong’s most senior finance officials plans to visit the UK in April in the country’s first ministerial-level trip to the region in three years and a sign that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is resetting the moribund UK-China economic relationship.
The trip proposed by financial services secretary Christopher Hui is the first since Britain accused China of violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the 1984 agreement under which Hong Kong was transferred to Chinese control, and since Britain offered Hong Kong citizens a route to citizenship. wake up to Beijing’s actions in the region.
The planned visit comes as Hong Kong embarks on a global charm offensive to restore business ties after lifting pandemic restrictions that effectively cut the city off from the rest of the world. The government is trying to attract tourists and skilled workers after the Covid-19 curbs and a political crackdown in response to pro-democracy protests in 2019 led to an exodus of citizens.
Hui is set to meet British officials and business representatives in London, according to two people familiar with the preparations for the trip. Hui’s office confirmed he would visit Europe this year but said details “will be announced in due course”.
Relations between the UK and China have soured after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 and overhauled the way the city is organized to bring it under the control of the central government next year.
In 2021, British prime minister Boris Johnson’s government said China had not complied with the joint declaration, which was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong a “high degree of autonomy” for 50 years after the territory returned to Beijing’s control in 1997.
China has since criticized Britain after it introduced a new immigration route for nearly 3 million Hongkongers and their dependents on the British Overseas Visa scheme, which includes a path to citizenship.
British businesses are increasingly worried about rhetoric from British politicians about China, fearing it could jeopardize trade ties.
This week, Sunak’s administration identified China as an “era-defining challenge” in its foreign and defense policy update, and cited China’s determination in concluding a defense agreement with the US and Australia in San Diego.
But the language in the policy update is a step back from when Sunak called China the “biggest long-term threat” during the Conservative party leadership campaign last year, analysts said.
“There is a difference between people who have not been governing and those who are now governing,” said Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King’s College London.
“Sunak is a technocrat who is trying to balance those interests with China. . . He is more flexible [than his predecessors].”
As chancellor, Sunak spoke about trade relations with China and suggested an approach to Beijing defined by “strong pragmatism” as Britain faces many economic challenges.
Chinese authorities are also trying to lure foreign businesses after a zero-Covid content policy and geopolitical tensions have prompted multinationals to consider moving their supply chains out of the country.
Since Sunday, China’s foreign ministry has arranged visits by foreign officials and business figures to four cities in the Greater Bay Area, a mainland city around Hong Kong home to more than 70 million people, to offer business opportunities, according to the four people. familiar with the matter.
Consular and business chamber officials including those representing the UK, Europe and Australia are expected to take part in the four-day visit to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Dongguan. U.S. officials did not plan to attend, citing scheduling conflicts, people familiar with the matter said.