Leader scolds U. S. on meddling

BEIJING — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Friday that whoever wins the U. S. presidential election should end U. S. interference in the internal affairs of her city and China overall.

She accused the Trump administration of repeatedly interfering over the past year, citing U. S. sanctions on officials including herself and the suspension of special trading conditions previously granted to Hong Kong.

“That is totally unreasonable,” she said at a news conference wrapping up a fourday visit to Beijing. “I hope that they will come back to normalcy and accept that the relationship has to be built on mutual respect and cooperation.”

The U. S. took issue with China’s enactment of a national security law for Hong Kong, which was designed in part to snuff out prodemocracy protests that rocked the city for months last year.

The Trump administration backed democracy activists who said the law ended the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong is part of China but given a high degree of autonomy over local affairs.

Lam said the national security law has been an effective deterrent after pitched battles between demonstrators and police during protests last year. Some more radical protesters attacked businesses seen as proBeijing and set fires in the streets. They said the escalating tactics were necessary to get the attention of a government that was ignoring their demands.

Earlier Friday, Lam met with a top Chinese Communist Party official who endorsed her rule, saying her government had restored order and revived the economy. Vice Premier Han Zheng praised her administration for implementing the national security law and protecting Hong Kong’s stability, and for its handling of the COVID19 pandemic.