Lord Oates (LD)

My Lords, I associate the Liberal Democrats with the Government’s strong condemnation of Jimmy Lai’s political conviction and of the Chinese Government for engineering it. I join the noble Earl in saluting the courage of Jimmy Lai, who, instead of choosing the easy life available to him, decided at great personal cost to stand up for democracy and freedom. I have had the privilege of knowing some of those who have made similar sacrifices in other parts of the world. Every time I have met them, I have been humbled by the price they have been prepared to pay, knowing full well in advance of the potential consequences of their actions. That extraordinary and humbling courage requires a commensurate response from our Government in defence of not only an international hero of democracy but a British citizen. Jimmy Lai is not alone. Many Hong Kongers continue to advocate for democracy despite the consequences, while the CCP continues to seek to undermine Hong Kong’s agreed status. Hong Kongers in the UK are subject to threats and intimidation from the Chinese state, including Carmen Lau, who just last week was subjected to a renewed campaign of intimidation against her. Can the Minister tell us what assurance the Government can provide to Hong Kongers in the UK that they will be better protected from the outrageous actions of the CCP in our country? Will the Government sanction the CCP officials responsible for extraterritorial intimidation? Will the FCDO update its submission to the Housing Secretary about the risks of the super-embassy in the light of the actions of the Chinese state? Finally, what action will the Government take to signal, beyond any doubt, that the treatment of Jimmy Lai is wholly unacceptable and that they will continue to seek his release, vocally and with concrete action?