Hong Kong protests on agenda in London talks between Boris Johnson and John Bolton
- US national security adviser says he spoke with British officials about the city’s situation ‘as part of a general discussion about China’
- It will fuel concerns in Beijing about growing international coalition on the crisis, according to observers
Britain’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, has discussed the situation in Hong Kong during talks with US national security adviser John Bolton, highlighting the geopolitical sensitivity of the anti-government protests that have rocked the city.
Observers said their talks would add to Beijing’s concern about a growing international coalition on the crisis in Hong Kong, which has already seen a war of words break out between China and the US.
Johnson’s office said the prime minister and Bolton “spoke about Brexit and a range of other issues, including Iran, Hong Kong and 5G” network security when they met in London on Monday, without giving details of the discussion.
Following the meeting, Bolton also told reporters he had talked about Hong Kong with British officials “as part of a general discussion about China”.
He rejected “ridiculous” allegations from Beijing that a US diplomat was a “black hand” in the protests, saying it was “incumbent on the Chinese to live up to their obligations” on Hong Kong.