Britain's Minister for Investment Dominic Johnson said he held a series of meetings with government officials and executives in Hong Kong this week, the first official visit from a senior British official to the city in five years.
Johnson's visit comes after relations between Britain and Hong Kong have been increasingly strained since 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law in the former colony.
Johnson said he was in Hong Kong to promote the United Kingdom as a leading destination for investment and trade.
"Hong Kong is one of the world's leading international financial centres and we have shared interests from financial services to infrastructure to sustainability," he wrote on Twitter.
Johnson also wrote in an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that Britain would engage with China and Hong Kong where interests converge but would stand up for its values "and be clear about our right to act when Beijing breaks its international commitments or abuses human rights".
Britain will not look the other way on Hong Kong he said, adding that the country would not duck its historic responsibilities.
Hong Kong and Beijing have said previously that Britain had no rights over the city under the joint declaration that laid the blueprint for how the city would be ruled after its 1997 reunification with China.
Johnson visited the city’s Cyberport area on Monday, which authorities have been trying to develop as a start up area, according to photos he posted on his feed.
When asked about Johnson's visit, Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday he welcomed foreign officials to come to Hong Kong to promote business, trade and people-to-people relationships, as Hong Kong has always relied on international and regional cooperation for its success.
"It's just some countries because of their political interests make certain moves to jeopardise the relationships," Lee said without directly referring to Britain.
"We should all focus on economic development for mutual benefit...we should be pragmatic and promote favourable policies."
Hong Kong’s government did not respond to a request for comment on Johnson’s trip nor did the British consulate provide any details. Johnson’s meetings have all been closed door and not available for media.
Western governments including Britain's have criticised the security law as a tool to crush dissent.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law, which punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with up to life in prison, has brought stability after the 2019 protests.
London has restricted Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern at Beijing's increasingly military and economic assertiveness.
英國投資大臣五年來首次訪港
英國投資大臣多米尼克約翰遜表示，他本週在香港與政府官員和高管舉行了一系列會議，這是英國高級官員五年來首次正式訪問香港。
自 2020 年北京在這個前殖民地實施國家安全法以來，英國和香港之間的關係日益緊張，約翰遜此訪之前。
約翰遜說，他來香港是為了宣傳英國作為投資和貿易的主要目的地。
他在推特上寫道：“香港是世界領先的國際金融中心之一，從金融服務到基礎設施再到可持續發展，我們有著共同的利益。”
約翰遜週二還在《南華早報》的一篇評論文章中寫道，英國將與利益交彙的中國和香港接觸，但會堅持其價值觀，“並明確我們有權在北京違反其國際承諾或侵犯人權”。
他說，英國不會在香港問題上視而不見，並補充說英國不會推卸其歷史責任。
香港和北京此前曾表示，根據聯合聲明，英國對這座城市沒有任何權利，該聲明為香港在 1997 年與中國統一後的治理方式製定了藍圖。
根據約翰遜在他的動態中發布的照片，週一他參觀了該市的數碼港地區，當局一直試圖將該地區開發為一個啟動區。
當被問及約翰遜的訪問時，香港行政長官李家超週二表示，他歡迎外國官員來港促進商業、貿易和人與人之間的關係，因為香港的發展一直依賴國際和區域合作。成功。
“這只是一些國家因為他們的政治利益而採取某些行動來破壞這種關係，”李說，但沒有直接提到英國。
“我們都應該專注於經濟發展，實現互利共贏……我們應該務實，促進優惠政策。”
香港政府沒有回應就約翰遜此行發表評論的請求，英國領事館也沒有提供任何細節。約翰遜的會議都是閉門會議，不對媒體開放。
包括英國在內的西方國家政府批評國安法是鎮壓異議的工具。
中國和香港當局表示，這項懲罰顛覆、勾結外國勢力和恐怖主義最高可判處無期徒刑的法律在 2019 年的抗議活動之後帶來了穩定。
倫敦出於對國家安全的擔憂限制了中國的投資，並對北京在軍事和經濟方面日益強硬的態度表示擔憂。
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