Hong Kong adheres to global sanctions, rule of law, John Lee tells Ukraine’s top diplomat

“The HKSAR government implements and strictly enforces United Nations Security Council’s sanctions. Any action taken by the HKSAR government will be in strict accordance with the laws of Hong Kong.”

Russia is not mentioned on the sanctions list of the UN Security Council. Russian individuals and entities, however, are on the list. The country is also not among the 31 sanctions regimes established by the council.

Kuleba visited the city leader as part of his tour to mainland China, where he met with his counterpart, Wang Yi, Guangdong governor Wang Weizhong and a delegation of regional officials on Wednesday.

Kuleba and Lee also discussed bilateral trade and investment opportunities, according to a statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

But the Ukrainian minister also urged the Hong Kong administration to “take measures” to prevent Russia and Russian companies from using the city to bypass restrictions imposed on the country since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“The minister emphasised that Russian machinations should not tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation as a highly developed liberal economy based on unwavering respect for the rule of law,” the statement said.

Kuleba’s calls were made after a report from an advocacy group Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation on Monday, which said the city had been shipping goods listed on the US and EU list of “Common High Priority Items” critical for Russia’s war effort.