Comment: The world must not stand by as China rides roughshod over Hong Kong

The city’s freedom and prosperity are at stake – and so are the values and interests of open societies around the world

Pro-democracy protests began in Hong Kong last year and continued for several months before the coronavirus put a stop to them for now

I made my final speech as Hong Kong’s governor on June 30, 1997, a few hours before I left the city on Britain’s royal yacht.

“Now, Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong. That is the promise. And that is the unshakable destiny,” I said.

That promise was contained in the 1984 Joint Declaration, a treaty signed by China and Britain and lodged at the United Nations. The deal was clear, and the guarantee ...