China lashes out at UK for criticizing Hong Kong’s National Security Law

Jan. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom has issued a statement on Thursday attacking a report published by the British Government in which it criticizes the Hong Kong National Security Law and accuses the Chinese Executive of failing to comply with the agreements signed by both countries on the transfer of sovereignty of the territory in 1997.

As expressed by the Embassy spokesman in a statement, the United Kingdom has “ignored China’s solemn position”, since it would have interfered “seriously” in Hong Kong affairs, “which are China’s internal affairs”.

“(United Kingdom) has seriously violated the basic norms that govern international relations. We are deeply dissatisfied and strongly opposed to it, and we have presented severe representations to the British side,” the Embassy of the Asian giant said in the letter.

As the Chinese representation in the British territory has advocated, China’s central government has “fully and faithfully” implemented the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy, under which the Hong Kong people administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.

“The improvement of Hong Kong’s electoral system reflects the principle that patriots administer Hong Kong. Today, Hong Kong residents enjoy many more rights and freedoms under the law than under British colonial rule,” the Hong Kong spokesman said. the Embassy.

In this sense, he stressed that Hong Kong affairs “are purely China’s internal affairs” and that they do not allow foreign interference. For this reason, they have urged the British side to “recognize reality” and discard “the colonial mentality”, respecting the unity of China, all accusing the United Kingdom of violating the basic rules governing international relations.

Earlier, the UK government shared a report saying that China “continues to breach the Sino-British Joint Declaration”, and that measures taken by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities “have further diminished the way of life that the Chinese government promised to continue”.

“The space for the people of Hong Kong to exercise the rights and freedoms promised to them by Beijing has again been considerably reduced,” the document states.

According to the United Kingdom, in Hong Kong political opposition have been detained, human rights lawyers have been harassed and pro-democracy media forced to shut down,” events that would undermine the commitments made in the Sino-British Joint Declaration .

“The Chinese government freely subscribed to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, but has subsequently chosen to ignore those commitments. The Chinese authorities argue that the National Security Law, electoral changes and other restrictions on civil liberties are necessary to achieve stability after the violent unrest,” the report concluded.