Top Beijing official says Hong Kong leaders must have strategic vision, warns West over meddling
- The chief executive of the financial hub must be a firm patriot able to defend China’s sovereignty, says Xia Baolong
- He warns the US over interfering in the nation’s affairs, and hours later the White House issues advisory to American firms over business risks in Hong Kong
A top mainland Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has set the bar for those who will lead the city, stressing the bottom line for them to be “firm patriots” with a problem-solving mindset and a strategic vision to defend China’s sovereignty.
In a sternly worded speech at a forum in Beijing on Friday, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong also warned the United States and its Western allies against interfering in the country’s internal matters and seeking to contain China’s progress.
“I hereby warn some politicians in the US and the European Parliament, you grossly trampled upon principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations, interfered in China’s internal affairs and imposed baseless sanctions against us. All these will only arouse our indignation and disdain against you,” he said.
“It will only repeatedly sound the death knell for your proxies in Hong Kong – the anti-China disruptors – and end up dropping a rock to hit your own feet.”
Hours after Xia delivered his defiant message, the White House issued an advisory warning to US businesses in Hong Kong, saying “developments over the last year … present clear operational, financial, legal and reputational risks”.