Jeremy Hunt, a leadership candidate for Britain's Conservative Party, appears on BBC TV's The Andrew Marr Show in London, Britain June 30, 2019. Jeff Overs/BBC/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will closely monitor events in Hong Kong and continue to press the Chinese government to respect the terms under which the former colony was handed over, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Sunday.

Ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the handover on Monday, Hunt said in a statement that recent protests made it even more important to reiterate that Britain’s commitment to the Sino-British Joint Declaration was unwavering.

“We will continue to closely monitor events in Hong Kong,” he said in a statement.

“Recent protests in Hong Kong make it even more important on the anniversary of the handover to reiterate that the UK Government’s commitment to the Sino-British Joint Declaration is unwavering. It is a legally-binding treaty and remains as valid today as it did when it was signed and ratified over thirty years ago.”