Update | Stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, Beijing warns European Union
A day after EU issues highly critical report on the SAR, the Foreign Ministry hits back and hails success of the ‘one country, two systems’ formula
Beijing “strongly opposes” the European Union making irresponsible accusations about Hong Kong affairs and warned foreign governments not to interfere in the city’s affairs.
Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a press conference on Tuesday, a day after the European Union released a highly critical annual report on Hong Kong.
“We call on the European Union to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs,” she said.
A spokesman for the commissioner’s office of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong emphasised that the “one country, two systems” formula had been effectively implemented and Hong Kong residents’ rights and freedom fully protected since the handover.
EU issues scathing annual report attacking Beijing on Hong Kong missing booksellers case and stalling of electoral reform
The Hong Kong government also warned foreign governments not to interfere in the city’s affairs, saying “one country, two systems” had worked smoothly since 1997.
The EU report described the case of the five booksellers who went missing late last year and later surfaced on the mainland as “the most serious challenge” to the governing principle since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty and warned it could undermine Hong Kong’s standing as an international business centre.