UK condemns Hong Kong's reward offers for suspects living in Britain
'The Hong Kong Police Force's issuing of further arrest warrants and bounties on individuals living in the UK is another example of transnational repression,' Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement.
Hong Kong authorities announced Friday that they are offering cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 pro-democracy activists based abroad, accused of violating the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The bounties range from about $25,000 (HK$200,000) to $125,000, depending on the individual Hong Kong seeks.
This is the fourth time Hong Kong authorities have made this type of appeal, which has already drawn strong criticism from Western countries, which China in turn has denounced as 'interference.'
In their statement, Lammy and Cooper called on China to stop targeting opposition voices in Britain.
Around 150,000 Hong Kong nationals migrated to the UK under a special visa scheme introduced in 2021.
But a recent proposal by the British government to reform extradition rules has sparked serious concerns, with some fearing it could pave the way for a resumption of extraditions to Hong Kong, which have been suspended since the 2020 national security law was enacted.
In their statement, the two British ministers said 'this Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the UK their home. We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
32 minutes ago
- Arab News
Chinese firm eyes investment in Pakistan's ICT, new energy sectors — ministry
ISLAMABAD: GuoDong Group, a leading Chinese communications firm, has expressed 'strong interest' in investment in Pakistan's information and communication technology (ICT) and new energy sectors, the Pakistani IT ministry said on Sunday. The statement came after a meeting between Pakistan's IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and a three-member GuoDong Group delegation, led by its founder and chairman Lu Jie in Shanghai. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Global Artificial Intelligence Conference, at which both sides discussed investment opportunities in Pakistan, according to the Pakistani IT ministry. 'The delegation expressed strong interest in investing in Pakistan's ICT sector, with a focus on telecommunication towers, data centers, and cloud computing infrastructure,' the Pakistani ministry said in a statement. 'Mr. Lu Jie also conveyed interest in expanding to new energy domains, including EV charging stations, smart city solutions, and advanced material manufacturing within Pakistan.' The development comes as Pakistan, slowly recovering from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal, has been looking to boost foreign investment for sustainable growth. In May, the Pakistani government allocated 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity in the first phase of a national initiative to power cryptocurrency mining and Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers. The South Asian country is also looking to build critical electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as it targets 30 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 under its ambitious New Electric Vehicle Policy (NEVP) 2025–2030. Welcoming the proposals, Khawaja invited the GuoDong Group officials to visit Pakistan for more detailed discussions with relevant stakeholders. 'She assured the delegation of the Government's full support and facilitation to help realize these investment initiatives,' the IT ministry said.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
UK's Starmer to recall cabinet from summer break to discuss Gaza: Report
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will recall his cabinet from their summer break to discuss the situation in Gaza, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, amid growing pressure on the Labour government to recognize a Palestinian state. Starmer's office did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on the report. The paper said the move to recall his cabinet of ministers next week was set out on Sunday by Downing Street. The UK parliament and cabinet are currently in a summer recess until September 1. The recall comes after Starmer said on Friday the British government would recognize a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action. President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognize a Palestinian state, a plan that drew strong condemnation from Israel and the United States, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year. More than 220 members of parliament in the UK, representing about a third of the House of Commons and mostly Labour members, wrote to Starmer on Friday urging him to recognize a Palestinian state. Successive British governments have said they will formally recognize a Palestinian state when the time is right, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions. Starmer's approach to the issue has been complicated by the arrival in Scotland on Friday of US President Donald Trump, with whom he has built warm relations. In foreign policy terms, Britain has rarely diverged from the United States. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Bangladesh orders 25 Boeing planes as part of push to ease US tariffs
DHAKA: Bangladesh has ordered 25 aircraft from Boeing and ramped up imports of key American goods in an effort to defuse trade tensions and bring down the steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, a senior official said on Sunday. The moves are part of a broader strategy to narrow a $6 billion US trade deficit with Bangladesh and avoid a looming 35 percent tariff hike that has rattled the country's export sector, especially the garments industry which risks losing competitiveness in one of its largest markets. 'We need new aircraft urgently, possibly within the next couple of years,' Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman told reporters. 'Initially, it was 14 planes — now it's 25,' he said, referring to an earlier plan to purchase aircraft from the US-based manufacturer. Alongside the aircraft deal, Bangladesh is boosting imports of wheat, soybean oil and cotton from the United States. A new agreement signed earlier this month will see the country import 700,000 tons of US wheat annually over the next five years. Officials hope that these steps will help improve trade relations with Washington and soften the impact of the Trump administration's tariff measures.
