Beijing diplomat warns UK consul not to 'meddle' in Hong Kong politics
Foreign ministry's Song Zhe has warned Caroline Wilson against 'meddling'
The top British envoy in Hong Kong has hit back at Beijing's warning that London should stay out of Hong Kong's politics, saying Britain has "a wide range of interests" in the city as a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
British Consul General Caroline Wilson also stressed the importance of universal suffrage being on the basis of "a genuine choice".
Wilson was responding after China's foreign ministry commissioner in Hong Kong, Song Zhe, issued a statement over the weekend, asking Britain not to poke its nose into Hong Kong's constitutional reforms.
He said the reforms were Hong Kong's internal affair and Beijing was firmly against any meddling by "outside forces".
Song's warning followed a breakfast hosted by Wilson on Friday for five pan-democrats during which she was said to have expressed concerns about electoral reform and governance. She and Song had had afternoon tea the day before.
In response to Song's statement, a spokesman for the British consulate said: "The consul general regularly meets legislators and other stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including political reform.