Sheffield-China twinning deal criticized over rights
The gist
Former Hong Konger Clara Cheung urged Sheffield City Council to end its 2010 twinning with Chengdu over human rights.
The council says it has no plans to terminate, so the dispute tests how far city diplomacy goes.
How it unfolded
- 2010Sheffield and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, became twin cities.
- 2021Clara Cheung, a former Hong Konger, moved to Sheffield after the National Security Law was imposed.
- 2022Sheffield twinned with Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine.
Key terms
- National Security Law
- A national law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 to safeguard national security in the region.
- twinning
- A formal pairing between two distinct towns or cities to promote cultural and commercial ties.
- city diplomacy
- The involvement of non-central governments such as cities in international relations and cross-border cooperation.
Source: Wikipedia