January 31, 2025 – Yesterday, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation hosted a Lunar New Year reception in London attended by more than 100 people, including Hong Kongers, parliamentarians from all parties, journalists, and representatives from advocacy groups.
The event was hosted by Alistair Carmichael MP, a former chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong, who reiterated his robust support for the people of Hong Kong in a keynote address. Joe Powell MP and Paul Kohler MP also gave speeches.
Diplomatic representatives from the European Union, Israel, Lithuania, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States, along with staffers from the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) were also in attendance.
In his speech, Alistair Carmichael said, “As long as there is one person who feels unsafe as a result of actions taken by the CCP, then organisations like the CFHK Foundation will have a job to do and it’s a job that genuinely matters.”
Joe Powell MP said that he would continue to press the British government for a “real strategy” to secure Jimmy Lai’s release, adding that the CFHK Foundation’s Beneath the Harbor report has made the case for the international community to sanction Hong Kong for its role in facilitating sanctions-evading trade.
“Clearly, the threat of repression is becoming more transnational, and it is imperative that the Home Office and police have a policy to protect people, like the Hong Kongers here, who are being targeted by these regimes,” Powell said.
Paul Kohler MP said he has witnessed the CCP’s attempts to silence dissenting voices and harass activists, as well as follow and intimidate Hong Kongers. “Such tyranny will not be rewarded,” he said. “I salute Hong Kongers, their bravery, and people like [CFHK Foundation staffer] Chloe Cheung, who inspire us to build a world where no voice is silenced, no person lives in fear, and individual rights are protected.”
Among the Hong Kongers in attendance were five of those bountied by the Hong Kong authorities, who live in the UK: Chloe Cheung, Tony Chung, Chung Kim-wah, Finn Lau, and Christopher Mung.
Hong Kong culture formed a large part of the evening, with entertainment provided in the form of a Cantonese Opera singer, a ‘Fai Chun’ calligraphy artist writing personalised messages of goodwill, and the God of Wealth bestowing blessings.
The evening concluded with an emotional and rousing chorus of Hong Kong’s banned anthem, “Glory to Hong Kong.”
Mark Sabah, Director of The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation said:
“It is vital that parliamentarians continue to support initiatives that defend Hong Kongers who choose to make the UK their home. They come here to escape repression, they are seeking safety and it is our duty to ensure they are safe. The bounties placed on people living in the UK shows that the CCP hates anyone speaking out against them, and the UK government should be doing everything possible to protect them. This Lunar New Year, we hope for positive changes in Hong Kong and freedom for political prisoners like Jimmy Lai.”
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