PRESS RELEASE : FCDO statement – démarche of Chinese Ambassador on Hong Kong [July 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 July 2023.

At the Foreign Secretary’s instruction his senior official conducted a formal diplomatic démarche of the Chinese Ambassador.

As the Minister for the Indo-Pacific stated in Parliament yesterday, on 13 July a senior official conducted a formal diplomatic démarche of the Chinese Ambassador at the instruction of the Foreign Secretary.

An FCDO spokesperson said:

“The démarche set out our objections to actions in Hong Kong in recent weeks, including the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for eight individuals living overseas, three of whom live in the UK, and the detention and questioning of the family members of some of those individuals in Hong Kong.

“The démarche also set out our ongoing opposition to the imposition of the National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong, which is a breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

Background Information

• It is standard practice for almost all démarches to be conducted by senior officials.