Newcastle, United Kingdom

Since 1985, Newcastle, a city in Tyne and Wear, was formerly twinned with Taiyuan, in the Shanxi Province.

On 2 Nov 2022, Liberal Democrat Councillor Wendy Taylor presented Newcastle Stands with Hong Kong’s detwin petition to the Council and proposed a motion to sever sister city ties with Taiyuan. Cllr Taylor stated that “The Chinese Communist regime's actions repeatedly demonstrate that it is not concerned with upholding the universal values we safeguard and adhering to international rules of conduct”.

She mentioned the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020 breached the Sino-British Joint Declaration and stripped away Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. She also read out the open letter written by Newcastle University reader in Chinese Studies, Dr. Jo Smith Finley. The letter mentioned that Dr. Smith Finley was sanctioned by China “for having a conscience and for standing up for social justice”. She was sanctioned due to her research and advocacy on human rights violations in Xinjiang, which poses a threat to academic freedom in the UK.

Labour Cllr Jane Byrne’s amendment mentioned Amnesty International report on the deteriorating human rights situation in China, including unfair trial, harassment and torture. She also included a statement to stand in solidarity with those fighting for freedom and democracy.

The Council passed the motion to detwin with Taiyuan unanimously.