Hong Kong citizens gather to protest the US and the UK's interference in China's internal affairs. Photo: cnsphoto

 

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Robert W. Forden, chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy to China, on Tuesday to express solemn opposition to the US State Department announcement of sanctions on 14 vice chairs of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

The US move violated international relationship standards, seriously interfered in China's internal affairs, and sabotaged China-US relations, which is arbitrary and unreasonable, and China expressed stern dissatisfaction toward it, Zheng pointed out.

US authorities announced on Monday that it was imposing sanctions on 14 individuals - all vice chairs of the 13th NPC Standing Committee - over Hong Kong affairs. The move came after the NPC made a decision in November to disqualify four opposition lawmakers who have infamous records for making trouble, and who are deemed unfit for their Hong Kong LegCo duties.

Zheng emphasized that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs, in which the US is not qualified at all to interfere. The NPC Standing Committee, in line with China's Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong to formulate the national security law for Hong Kong, pushes forward the governance of the city and cracks down on criminals. Also, the top authority contained external forces that tried to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, and all those are in the scope of the China's sovereignty, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister said. 

"The recent disqualification of four Hong Kong lawmakers announced by the HKSAR government was in line with the Chinese Constitution, Article 104 of the Basic Law and relevant interpretation of the committee, as well as relevant regulations of the national security law for Hong Kong, which is completely reasonable and legitimate," Zheng said. 

For some time, the US, in disguise of protecting Hong Kong's "democracy, human rights and autonomy," used various means to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and instigated support for secessionism as well as criminal activities that disturbed the social order, the Chinese official noted. All those so-called sanctions on the Chinese central government and HKSAR government officials show that the US was the 'biggest black hand' behind the social turmoil in Hong Kong in previous months, he said. 

"It's not true that the US cares about Hong Kong's democracy, human rights and autonomy; it's true they want to make a mess in Hong Kong and sabotage China's stable development," Zheng said. 

The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister also emphasized that China opposes any foreign forces interfering in Hong Kong affairs, decisively carry on "one country, two systems," safeguards national security and sovereignty, and barbaric acts of the US would only trigger Chinese people's strong indignation toward anti-China forces in the US. 

China also urged the US to immediately correct its mistakes and rescind the relevant decision, and stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs. Otherwise, the serious consequences can only be fully borne by the US.