China Accuses British Lawmakers Of Hong Kong 'Interference'
Jin Tuliao | | Sep 03, 2014 09:04 AM EDT |
(Photo : Reuters/Tyrone Siu) Pro-democracy activists clash with police in Hong Kong during a protest against Beijing’s plan to vet candidates for elections in the territory.
China accused British Members of Parliament (MP) of interfering in its internal affairs with regard to Hong Kong’s democratic reforms, reports said on Tuesday.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterated Beijing is opposed to any foreign interference in its internal affairs. Qin once again confirmed that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and its democratic reforms fall within China's domestic affairs.
Like Us on Facebook
Qin made the remarks after the National People's Congress (NPC) Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to the British parliament discussing the inquiry into the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984.
The letter said the British MPs' inquiry sent a wrong political signal to the outside world and interrupted the democratic reform of Hong Kong. Apart from that, the letter added that the MPs' action might cause damage or negative impact on the bilateral relations between China and the UK.
The Chinese committee urged British lawmakers to act with caution on Hong Kong’s issue and take into consideration China-UK relations and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. Beijing also demanded that the UK should stop meddling in Hong Kong's affairs and drop the probe on UK-Hong Kong relations.
Britain transferred Hong Kong to China in 1997 under an agreement that aimed to keep Hong Kong’s wide-ranging freedom and autonomy, reports said.
However, tensions rose in Hong Kong after Pro-democracy activists vowed to launch a civil disobedience campaign against the Beining's decision to vet nominations for the 2017 leadership election.
Critics described the NPC’s restrictive framework on elections as a betrayal of Beijing's promise to approved Hong Kong universal legal right by 2017.
The British Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Richard Ottaway told the media that he wanted to avoid any misunderstanding and did not want to irritate the Chinese. He said that the job of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee is to oversee whether Britain and China have complied with its obligations.
Ottaway said that if the Chinese committee indeed nominating a limited number of candidates for an election, it is proven that China breached the undertakings it gave in the 1984 deal.
TagsHong Kong, UK, Brit MP's, internal affairs
©2015 Chinatopix All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission
EDITOR'S PICKS
-
Did the Trump administration just announce plans for a trade war with ‘hostile’ China and Russia?
-
US Senate passes Taiwan travel bill slammed by China
-
As Yan Sihong’s family grieves, here are other Chinese students who went missing abroad. Some have never been found
-
Beijing blasts Western critics who ‘smear China’ with the term sharp power
-
China Envoy Seeks to Defuse Tensions With U.S. as a Trade War Brews
-
Singapore's Deputy PM Provides Bitcoin Vote of Confidence Amid China's Blanket Bans
-
China warns investors over risks in overseas virtual currency trading
-
Chinese government most trustworthy: survey
-
Kashima Antlers On Course For Back-To-Back Titles
MOST POPULAR
LATEST NEWS
Zhou Yongkang: China's Former Security Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison
China's former Chief of the Ministry of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, has been given a life sentence after he was found guilty of abusing his office, bribery and deliberately ... Full Article
TRENDING STORY
-
China Pork Prices Expected to Stabilize As The Supplies Recover
-
Elephone P9000 Smartphone is now on Sale on Amazon India
-
There's a Big Chance Cliffhangers Won't Still Be Resolved When Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Returns
-
Supreme Court Ruled on Samsung vs Apple Dispute for Patent Infringement
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumors and Release Date: What is the Latest?