Beijing’s top envoy in UK lodges formal protest against Britain’s accusation of Hong Kong staging ‘campaign of fear’ through national security law raid
- Ambassador Zheng Zeguang makes ‘serious démarche’ to officials in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, citing lack of respect for law
- Row centres on Hong Kong police’s raid on family home of Nathan Law, who is one of eight on a wanted list and now living in the UK
Beijing’s top envoy in Britain has lodged a formal protest against the country for accusing Hong Kong of staging a “campaign of fear” to intimidate activists after police in the city raided the home of a former lawmaker on a wanted list, who is now living in the UK.
The governments on Thursday crossed swords over the action by Hong Kong’s national security police two days earlier. Officers had raided activist Nathan Law Kwun-chung’s family home in Tung Chung and taken away his parents and older brother for questioning.
Police earlier announced a HK$1 million (US$127,730) bounty for information leading to each arrest of eight suspects, including Law, accused of violating the Beijing-decreed national security law, which authorities insist has an extraterritorial reach.
British foreign office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan told the parliament on Thursday that a formal protest would be made to the Chinese ambassador. She warned that her government would not tolerate Hong Kong’s “campaign of fear” intended to intimidate and silence the eight wanted individuals by targeting their families.
Hong Kong national security police raid family home of fugitive Nathan Law
She said such acts would only further damage the city’s international reputation and standing and the British government would not tolerate attempts by mainland Chinese or Hong Kong authorities to intimidate or silence anyone in the country.
In response, the Chinese embassy in London said ambassador Zheng Zeguang had made a “serious démarche” to “relevant officials” of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Thursday to express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the “wrongful words”.
The law enforcement actions by Hong Kong police were “just, necessary and legitimate” in maintaining the rule of law and stability of Hong Kong, he said.
Zheng told British officials they were “in no position and [have] no right to make irresponsible remarks” about the city’s law enforcement actions.
8 Hong Kong wanted activists should be treated like ‘rats in the street’: John Lee
“The UK side pointed fingers at the Hong Kong SAR police’s law enforcement actions, spoke publicly for those anti-China elements, and provided a safe haven for them,” the statement said.
“What the UK side has done confounded white and black, showed no respect for the rule of law, and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs.”
Separately, the Hong Kong government also said it strongly opposed and condemned the attempt by British officials and politicians to “demonise” legal police actions, reiterating that the scope of application of the national security legislation aligned with the principles of international law and practice adopted by other jurisdictions.
“The HKSAR government solemnly urges the UK to discern fact from fallacy, stop immediately their wanton slanders and smears against the national security law and the implementation of the law,” a government spokesperson said on Thursday night.
Law, who turned 30 on Thursday, is believed to have left Hong Kong just before the national security law took effect on June 30, 2020. He is now living in the UK.
Five former members of the disbanded opposition political party Demosisto, which Law co-founded, were arrested over the past week on suspicion of financially supporting him.
Hong Kong national security police arrest another ex-Demosisto member
On Friday, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong also challenged China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of an Asean summit in Jakarta over Hong Kong’s decision to issue bounties for eight activists living abroad, including two now residing in the country.
She said she had raised “deep concerns” with Wang regarding the latest development and that Canberra would continue to speak “in defence of human rights” and the “rights and freedom of those who live in Australia”.
The other wanted opposition figures who now live overseas are ex-legislators Dennis Kwok Wing-hang and Ted Hui Chi-fung, trade unionist Mung Siu-tat, lawyer Kevin Yam Kin-fung, as well as activists Finn Lau Cho-dik, Anna Kwok Fung-yee and Elmer Yuan Gong-yi.
