Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the UK had made “irresponsible comments”
China warned the United Kingdom not to interfere with Hong Kong after the imposition of a new national security saw, as a pro-democracy activist called for international support.
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the UK offer of a path to citizenship for up to three million Hong Kong people amounted to “serious interference”.
The offer came after Beijing introduced the controversial new law.
Opponents say it erodes the freedoms of the territory as a semi-autonomous region.
Activist Joshua Wong had previously called for more support, asking his fellow Hong Kongers and the rest of the world not to “bow” to Beijing.
But Ambassador Liu said he expected the United Kingdom to reconsider its offer.
“The UK government continues to make irresponsible comments on Hong Kong affairs,” he told reporters.
The ambassador said a decision on how exactly Beijing intended to respond to the offer would be made once he knew the details.
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The United Kingdom has argued that China has breached an agreement that entered into force in 1997, which offered Hong Kong certain freedoms for 50 years in exchange for returning the territory to Beijing.
Later on Monday, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged China not to interfere if Hong Kongers with British national status (abroad) sought to come to the UK.
“We would hope that China understands the importance of adhering to international law,” the spokesman said.
He added: “We are currently evaluating the national security law and its legal ramifications in terms of extradition with Hong Kong.
New Hong Kong security law
“Extensive extradition safeguards already exist in the UK. Courts should prohibit extradition of a person to any country if it is inconsistent with their human rights or if the request appears to be motivated by their political opinion.”
Also Monday, Facebook and its WhatsApp messaging service said they had “paused” requests for information processing by the Hong Kong government and law enforcement agencies “pending further evaluation of the impact of the national security law.”
The evaluation will include “formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts,” according to a statement.
‘Warning barely veiled’
By Paul Adams, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Ambassador Liu is never less than robust. His condemnations of what Beijing considers to be British interference in China’s internal affairs are familiar.
But with Britain and China now disagreeing on at least two main issues, Hong Kong and Huawei, the feeling of a frayed relationship is stronger than ever.
All efforts to thwart the will of 1.4 billion Chinese, Liu warned, were doomed to failure. When the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference were violated, he said, then relations would inevitably suffer “setbacks, even setbacks.”
And when it comes to Huawei, Boris Johnson’s suggestion last week that China could now be viewed as a “hostile state seller” is clearly taken as a serious affront. Chinese officials, the ambassador said, had never described Britain this way.
- UK government evaluates Huawei ban
The ambassador did not elaborate on the consequences of Britain’s turnaround on Huawei, or Britain’s offer of citizenship to British (foreign) passport holders.
But the use of a quote he attributed to former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski – “If we make China an enemy, China will become an enemy” – was a barely veiled warning.
Numerous other countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia, have also expressed concern over the enforcement of the law.
The new law, which was introduced last week, targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison.
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Reuters
Joshua Wong, center, appeared in court with fellow activists Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow.
Opponents like Wong say freedom of expression does indeed end. Beijing rejects this.
Wong, who appeared in court on Monday with two other activists accused of illegal gathering, said the law was already having a chilling effect.
Over the weekend, books by pro-democracy activists were removed from public libraries.
But Mister Wong was determined to keep fighting.
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“Now we know it is an uphill battle, but it does not matter that we have our friends in the global community to continue their international defense,” he told reporters outside court.
“In Hong Kong, we still urge people to vote in the next primary elections scheduled for this weekend.”
“We also encourage more people in Hong Kong or in the global community to continue to inform Beijing. [sic] that leaning towards China is not an option and we must stand up and fight. “
What is the security law?
The law is very broad and gives Beijing powers it has never had before to shape life in Hong Kong. The law criminalizes inciting hatred to the central government of China and the regional government of Hong Kong.
It also allows for closed-door trials, wiretapping of suspects, and the possibility of suspects being tried in mainland China.
Actions including damaging public transportation facilities, which often occurred during the 2019 protests, can be considered terrorism.
There are also concerns about online freedom, as internet providers may have to hand over data if the police request it.
