I have been championing the teaching of black and colonial history in schools for as long as I can remember and was a member of the task force set up in 2012 under Baroness Meral Ece on Race Equality in Education and Employment. Through learning about the impact and legacy of colonialism, we can forge a modern British identity, bridge past divisions as well as better inform Britain's dealings with the rest of the world.

The rise of China is an enigma for us in the West. Over the last 40 years, China lifted 850 million [1] people out of poverty and grew to become the second largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the largest by purchasing power parity. It has done so without becoming an open liberal democracy, no universal suffrage and no competing multi-parties. Yet, in the last 10 years, the regime has enjoyed greater legitimacy [2] from its citizens than Western democracies [3].

We don't talk enough about race. Properly talk, that is.

It's become obvious, as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has come to the fore with the murder of George Floyd in the United States, that, whilst many of us who consider ourselves liberals have a desire to be anti-racist and create a society where your skin colour does not determine your life chances, we lack the language and the understanding of how to achieve this.

Liberal Democrats stand for an open society receptive to new ideas, international trade, law-law rather than war-war, cooperation amongst nations, and universal human rights. Whilst proud to be British, we oppose isolationism, nationalism, protectionism and xenophobia for political gain. We recognise the difficulties of Britain's colonial past and support making amends.

1. The 13th National People's Congress (NPC) has just passed a new law on 30th June to introduce a system of "National Security" to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) so China will have power over its long term stability. The national security law seeks to ban acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, in accordance with its laws including any "foreign or external interference". Criticism of the national anthem will also be outlawed and mainland Chinese security agents will be able to set up offices in HK.

On Sunday 28 June at 1400 BST, a time chosen to suit a global audience, LibDems Overseas (LDO) a g(local) party co-hosted our first webinar with the Paddy Ashdown Forum, the centrist think tank supported by the European Liberal Forum. Participants who joined via Zoom were largely drawn from LDO's 1000 members and supporters living in over 40 countries outside Europe. The event was moderated by LDO Chair, George Cunningham.

The UK and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984 for the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 under 'one country two systems' for a period of 50 years. In recent years Hong Kong has seen mass protests against the perceived erosion of their rights and freedoms, for universal suffrage for the election of their Chief Executive and against a 2019 Extradition Bill. On 21 May, the Chinese Government proposed a national security law for Hong Kong aimed at preventing and punishing acts of terrorism, subversion, separatism and foreign interference. It gives the Chinese government power to adjudicate over select criminal cases.

We wish to express our sympathy with the family of the late George Floyd who tragically lost his life on 25 May 2020 in Minneapolis as a result of police brutality.

Chinese Liberal Democrats stand in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement that started in the United States but is equally relevant here in the UK and worldwide.

The alarming rise in hate crime towards British Chinese and other East Asian communities due to the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed deep seated racism in our society. Misinformation in the media and by public figures, whether deliberate or unintentional, has heightened fears and bigotry, leading to harassment, abuse and even physical attacks.