IN THE NEWS
Forbes
11/06/2023
Frances Hui told Forbes, "“Since the imposition of the National Security Law, our movement has moved from the streets into courtrooms as the government put dissidents on trial for standing against the communist China regime. The judges and prosecutors who sit in these court cases have deliberately enabled the government to weaponize the legal system and send pro-democracy activists to jail with their own hands. "
The Scotsman
09/26/2023
If you rewound the clock in Hong Kong back five years to 2018, business and life would have been going on as usual in one of the world’s most dynamic cities – glistening skyscrapers, dim sum on the streets, and Victoria Harbour bustling with people. Tim Loughton MP, Jim Shannon MP and Mark L Clifford discussed a changing Hong Kong in The Scotsman.
American Thought Leaders
8/24/2023
Frances Hui shared her story with American Thought Leaders. While the Chinese regime is “putting millions of Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps, when they are also doing that to Tibetans, when they’re also putting thousands of Hong Kongers in jail, they realize none of these human rights abuses comes [at] any cost … That bar for accountability keeps getting lower and lower."
Radio Free Asia Mandarin
08/22/2023
Mark Sabah told Radio Free Asia Mandarin, "It is expected that James Cleverly will raise the declining situation in Hong Kong with Chinese officials in Beijing, but this should be at the top of the agenda. China has gotten away for far too long with breaching the Sino-British Joint Declaration and repressing Hongkongers, Uyghurs and Tibetans at home and abroad."
The Daily Mail
8/01/2023
Mark Sabah told The Daily Mail,
"[Mr Cleverly] is desperate to look like a statesman. Instead of taking the opportunity to reshape Britain’s relationship with Beijing and protect our national security, he is replicating the approach we used to have with Russia which led to so many issues."
NTD News
06/09/2023
Megan Khoo told NTD News about the pernicious effects of a 2018 tax agreement between Britain and China/Hong Kong: “Whether knowingly or unknowingly the British government is able to share the sensitive tax information [of Hong Kong and Chinese people abroad] – this is addresses, bank account information, how much money they have – automatically with the Chinese regime”.
The Independent
05/31/2023
The Independent reported on the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s panel discussion for World Press Freedom Day in the British Parliament, where Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, lead international lawyer for Jimmy Lai, called out how the Hong Kong authorities continue to wage “lawfare” against Mr Lai and others.
Central News Agency Taiwan
05/30/2023
Central News Agency Taiwan covered the World Press Freedom Day event hosted by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, which featured Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC underscoring how the Hong Kong authorities continue to use the National Security Law to target journalists and human rights defenders worldwide.
British Thought
Leaders
05/09/2023
Mark Sabah spoke with British Thought Leaders about how the Chinese Communist Party continues to devastate Hong Kong. Pointing to the Hong Kong government's breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Mr Sabah said, “In Hong Kong, we’ve heard nothing. The shocking thing is, we’ve heard nothing from 50 percent of the party to that agreement, which is the United Kingdom.”
American Banker
05/15/2023
Mark Clifford authored a piece for American Banker on how the Chinese government has forced banks like HSBC, Manulife, Invesco and Fidelity to deny 90,000 Hong Kong emigrants access to their hard-earned pensions. Mr Clifford wrote, “Banks have been behaving as if their operations in Hong Kong enjoy the same protections they operate under in London or New York. They do not; in fact, they have none.”
The Epoch Times
05/08/2023
The Epoch Times exposed how U.K. universities have accepted £30 million from the Chinese-owned corporation Huawei. Mark Sabah said, “It’s a high-risk strategy by universities and one that could do a huge amount of damage to the higher education sector, as well as to British cities in general.”
Duncan Bartlett
05/06/2023
Duncan Bartlett, Research Associate at the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, interviewed Mark Clifford regarding British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s speech on UK-China relations. Mr Clifford said, “I would hope that the remarks would hint at a tougher attitude towards protecting Hong Kongers who have immigrated to Britain and been the subject of physical and other attacks in the UK.”
Talk TV
04/28/2023
Mark Sabah spoke with Dr David Bull on TalkTV about British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly sanctioning Russian officials who jailed British citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza. He called on James Cleverly to do the same with Hong Kong officials to hold them to account for the imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai.
Talk TV
04/21/2023
Mark Sabah spoke with Talk TV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer about political prisoners worldwide, including the Russian Federation's recent arrests of political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza and The Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich as well as the Chinese Communist Party's detainment of Jimmy Lai.
NTD News
03/24/2023
Mark Sabah spoke to NTD News to highlight the first-ever U.K.-Hong Kong Summit in London. Mr Sabah emphasised the need to protect Hong Kongers who seek refuge in Britain, saying, "You're telling Hong Kongers 'you've come here to be safe', but they're not. [The Bob Chan attack] had a very negative effect on the mentality of Hong Kongers who suddenly realised they're on their own even though they're here."
The Daily Express
03/26/2023
Mark Clifford spoke with Marco Giannangeli, highlighting the need for Britain to label China a "threat". Mr Clifford said, "Downing street realises the Golden age of trade with China is over, but there is still a sense that we can somehow have it both ways - that’s why Whitehall continues to apply the term 'strategic competitor' to China, when we are already very clearly in a Cold War."
Channels TV
03/24/2023
Mark Sabah spoke with Channels TV about a Parliamentary debate co-organised by the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation on 10 years of Xi Jinping and the future of U.K.-China relations. Mr Sabah said, "It was fairly bleak because there were warning signs coming from politicians who care about [the issues that affect Hong Kong]."
Daily Business
02/20/2023
According to Daily Business, EU-owned BrewDog has entered a joint venture with Budweiser China. This joint venture is hypocritical especially after BrewDog’s attempts to shame Fifa and Qatar over its record on human rights at the World Cup last year. "If they are going to be calling out human rights abuses in Qatar, they should be doing the same in China," stated Mark Sabah.
Fox Business
02/20/2023
Mark Clifford spoke to Maria Bartiromo about the China threat. Mr Clifford discussed the recent surveillance balloons, the potential meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi in Munich, and the disappearance of the CEO of China Renaissance, Bao Fan.
Talk TV
02/18/2023
Mark Sabah spoke to Talk TV to discuss a speech made by Liz Truss, former British Prime Minister, regarding China. Mr Sabah discussed the rise of China, the U.K.’s lack of a coherent China policy and the recent cancellation of a visit to the U.K. by the Governor of Xinjiang. Mr Sabah also raised the case of British citizen Jimmy Lai and the destruction of freedoms in Hong Kong under the National Security Law.
The Epoch Times
02/08/2023
After the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong released its banking report, which the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation contributed to, Mark Clifford told The Epoch Times, “The behaviour of British banks is cruel towards the people who have left Hong Kong and simply want to start a new life."
CapX
02/13/2023
Mark Sabah wrote in CapX about how the Online Safety Bill could allow the U.K. government to set up a surveillance state. Mr Sabah believes the Bill would put Hongkongers seeking refuge in Britain at risk.
Forbes
02/08/2023
Olivia Enos wrote in Forbes about how the global community should respond to the trial of the Hong Kong 47. Mrs Enos urged the international community to stand in solidarity with the individuals who are wrongfully imprisoned and to defend those who are unlawfully on trial in Hong Kong.
Talk TV
02/07/2023
Megan Khoo spoke about the Chinese Communist Party’s spy balloon that was spotted over the US. “It doesn’t take a balloon to see the CCP’s infiltration over the US and UK. It is preposterous that James Cleverly and Rishi Sunak have not spoken out about this at all,” declared Mrs Khoo.
The Scotsman
01/21/2023
Mark Clifford toldThe Scotsman, "Scottish universities’ Confucius Institutes are promoting trade and investment while students in Hong Kong are being imprisoned for peaceful protest and speaking the truth" after Glasgow University's Confucius Institute sponsored yet another China-Britain Business Council annual awards ceremony.
The National Catholic Register
12/23/2022
The National Catholic Register featured the CFHK Foundation's "Postcards for Jimmy" campaign which involves schoolchildren sending Jimmy Lai Christmas cards in prison from around the world. Luke Schwartz, a 10-year old who participated, said, "Mr. Lai is a strong man for standing up for the people of Hong Kong. I'm happy I could do something to make him smile."
CBN News
12/02/2022
Olivia Enos spoke to CBN News about the recent protests in China and the use of technology to monitor those taking part. Ms Enos stated, “I can’t underscore this enough, how much bravery it takes for Chinese people to take to the streets. The Chinese Party is notorious for using technology…one particular application would mark activities as suspicious…those types of suspicions could be grounds for being sent to these political re-education camps.”
iNews
12/04/2022
Mark Clifford was quoted in iNews, commenting on the reaction of Hong Kong officials on the “white paper” demonstration in Hong Kong to show solidarity with the protests that broke out in mainland China on the 27th of November. Mr Clifford stated, “It shows the authorities are determined to snuff out even the smallest acts of resistance.”
Financial Times
11/29/2022
Tara Joseph told The Financial Times that the appeal from Beijing to block Timothy Owen from defending Jimmy Lai “goes exactly against the grain of what the Hong Kong government preaches about the city’s unique qualities. Hong Kong has always said it was open to international barristers and judges. This just flies in the face of that ideal it espoused.”
The Times Red Box
11/29/2022
Damian Green MP and Mark Clifford urged British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to “grapple with how to respond to China’s increasingly erratic aggression.” In The Times Red Box, they wrote that it is now “vital that democratic countries remain committed to holding China to account, now is the perfect time for Sunak to harden the government’s position on China.”
Hong Kong Free Press
11/26/2022
Following a Hong Kong court charging Cardinal Zen for helping pro-democracy protesters, Frances Hui told the Hong Kong Free Press how she recalled him as a very gentle and caring figure. “He taught us at a young age, ‘Fret not, for God has his plans.’ That built up my confidence in life. Some of my acquaintances who aren’t religious are moved by his dedication. He could have stepped back, but he stayed true to his words even at such an old age,” she said.
