China raps MPs’ Cold War talk Besieged
CHINA is not interested in a diplomatic war with Britain but rejects the “Cold War mentality” it has seen from some British politicians over Hong Kong, China’s ambassador to London said yesterday.
China and Britain have engaged in a public spat over mass protests in Hong Kong against a now suspended bill that would allow extradition to mainland China.
Asked whether Beijing would intervene, ambassador Liu Xiaoming told BBC TV China was fully committed to the “one country, two systems” agreement and he had full confidence in Hong Kong’s ability to resolve the situation.
He said it was the British Government that was interfering in Hong Kong’s internal affairs and trying to “obstruct the legal process”.
Liu was summoned to the British Foreign Office earlier this week after his comments that “colonial” Britain should keep its “hands off Hong Kong”. Hong Kong was under British rule for almost 150 years until 1997.
Hundreds of protesters in the former British colony besieged and broke into the legislature last week after a demonstration marking the anniversary of return to Chinese rule.
Critics say the extradition bill would undermine Hong Kong’s independent judiciary and give Beijing powers to prosecute activists in mainland courts controlled by the Communist Party.
Liu told the BBC that Hong Kong had received no instructions or orders from Beijing to introduce the bill.
And he rejected that it would make it easy to extradite people from Hong Kong to China.