Beijing Accuses UK Of 'Colonial Dreams' Over Hong Kong Human Rights Report

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th June, 2021) The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday reproached the United Kingdom for "meddling" and "colonial" ambitions after the country issued another six-monthly Report on Hong Kong.

On Thursday, the UK government published 48th in a series of reports to parliament on Hong Kong, in which it accused the Chinese government of using last year's national security law to suppress rights and freedoms of the autonomous region.

"We urge the UK to abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, grasp the reality that it has been 24 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, let go of its old colonial dream, get rid of double standard, stop releasing relevant reports, stop meddling in China's domestic affairs including Hong Kong affairs in any way, and do more things in the interest of Hong Kong's stability and prosperity and China-UK relations," spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing.

The UK transferred Hong Kong to China in 1997, when the territory ceased to be a British colony. Under the Joint Declaration, the land received the status of a special administrative unit whose citizens would enjoy exclusive political, economic and personal freedoms until 2047 under the "one country, two systems" concept.

Beijing maintains that the 2020 national security legislation does not infringe on the region's rights and only targets illegal activities that have been on the rise in the city since the 2019 protests.