London, May 14, 2024, The Europe Today: The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom (UK) issued a statement on Monday, strongly condemning what it described as the UK’s malicious fabrication and unwarranted accusations against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
This statement follows the announcement earlier on Monday by British police charging three men with allegedly assisting Hong Kong’s foreign intelligence service. The Chinese Embassy firmly rejects and strongly condemns these charges, labeling them as baseless and fabricated, and has made serious representations to the UK on the matter.
“For some time now, the UK has staged a series of accusations against China, including those on ‘China spies’ and cyber attacks,” the statement declared, calling these accusations “groundless and slanderous.”
The statement further criticized the UK for what it termed as wanton harassment, arrests, and detentions of Chinese citizens in the UK under the pretext of judicial and national security concerns. “This constitutes a grave provocation against China and severely contravenes the basic norms governing international relations,” the statement added.
The Chinese Embassy emphasized that Hong Kong has been a part of China since its return in 1997 and asserted, “Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong. The UK has no right and is in no position to point fingers at and meddle in Hong Kong affairs.”
The Chinese government, according to the statement, remains resolutely committed to combating anti-China elements aiming to destabilize Hong Kong and to maintaining the region’s stability and prosperity. The Embassy criticized the UK’s alleged harboring of wanted criminals, stating that such actions undermine the rule of law and are futile.
“We urge the UK side to immediately correct its wrongdoing, stop spreading the so-called ‘China threat theory,’ end all forms of political manipulation against China, and ensure all the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the UK,” the statement urged.
The Embassy concluded by warning that any political maneuvers aimed at diverting public attention or covering up the UK’s own issues by smearing China are destined to fail. “Any move to interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine China’s interests will be met with a firm response,” it said, cautioning the UK against further damaging China-UK relations.