Philip Hammond is the first British foreign secretary to visit Hong Kong in five years. File photo: AP
British foreign secretary Philip Hammond raised concerns about threats to Hong Kong's autonomy on Friday as he arrived here.
"Although the 'One Country, Two Systems' model is generally working well in Hong Kong, concerns have been raised over the recent booksellers' case," Hammond said in a statement, referring to the disappearance of five people linked to a Causeway Bay bookstore.
"Rule of law is the cornerstone of an open and fair society. Hong Kong's success is underpinned by its independent judiciary and respect for rights and freedoms," he added.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that Hammond would also "underline the importance of One Country, Two Systems and of restarting progress on political reform" in his meeting with the Chief Executive CY Leung later on Friday.
It is the first visit by a British foreign secretary for five years.
The five booksellers worked for a Hong Kong publishing house famous for salacious titles about high-ranking mainland leaders. They went missing at the end of last year. Four are under criminal investigation in the mainland – the fifth, UK citizen Lee Bo, has said he is "assisting" with the investigations and has come back to visit Hong Kong recently, insisting he is a free man. He also renounced his British passport.
Britain has voiced anger over Lee – the only bookseller who disappeared from Hong Kong – saying it believed he was "involuntarily removed to the mainland" in what it called a "serious breach" of the handover agreement.
Beijing criticised the UK for interfering in its affairs.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1253255-20160408.htm
