China tells US and Britain to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming gestures during a news conference in London, Britain August 15, 2019. REUTERS 

LONDON (Reuters): Chinas ambassador to London said on Monday foreign countries, including the United States and Britain, should stop interfering in Hong Kong’s internal affairs as protesters continued to battle with Hong Kong police.

“Some Western countries have publicly supported extreme violent offenders, the US House of representatives adopted the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to blatantly interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are China’s internal affairs,” Ambassador Liu Xiaoming told reporters.

“The British Government and the foreign affairs committee of the House of Commons published China-related reports making irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong. What is worse certain British politicians even planned to present (an) award to a chief propagandist for Hong Kong independence.” Hong Kong police laid siege to a university on Monday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to pin back anti-government protesters armed with petrol bombs and other weapons and stop them from fleeing amid fears of a bloody crackdown.

Britain said it was seriously concerned by the violence on both sides at Hong Kong’s universities and called for safe passage and medical assistance be given to those trapped at the campuses.

“We remain seriously concerned by the situation in Hong Kong and the escalation of violence between protesters and police. We continue to urge for calm and restraint on all sides and support the right to peaceful protest,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday.

“It is vital that those who are injured are able to receive appropriate medical treatment, and that safe passage is made available for all those who wish to leave the area,” Britain’s Foreign Office said. 

The European Commission said on Monday that violence in response to the escalating anti-government protests in Hong Kong was unacceptable and called on law enforcement authorities to keep their action “strictly proportionate”.

Hong Kong police laid siege to the Polytechnic University on Monday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to pin back protesters armed with petrol bombs and other weapons and stop them from fleeing amid fears of a bloody crackdown.

“We’ve seen reports that first responders and other medical staff were detained by law enforcement forces while trying to provide assistance to those who were injured, which is a source of deep concern,” Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for foreign affairs at the European Commission, to a news briefing.

“Any violence is of course unacceptable and any action by the law enforcement authorities must remain strictly proportionate and fundamental freedoms, including in particular the right of peaceful assembly and expression, must be upheld.” The unrest has plunged the Asian financial hub into chaos for almost six months. Demonstrators are angry at what they see as Chinese meddling in Hong Kong’s promised freedoms when the then-British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and say they are responding to excessive use of force by police.

Kocijancic said the European Union’s executive was calling on all sides to exercise restraint and engage in efforts to de-escalate the situation.