A Chinese diplomat met with the US consul general in Hong Kong and warned him not to cross “red lines” in protest at what China called his “inappropriate” interference in the territory’s affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office said. Hong Kong Foreign Relations.
Consul General Gregory May gave a video speech last month expressing concern about diminishing freedoms in Hong Kong and saying its reputation as a business hub hinged on adherence to international norms and the rule of law.
The Foreign Ministry Office in Hong Kong said its commissioner, Liu Guangyuan, recently met with May to express objections to her words.
“Mr. Liu also drew three red lines for the US Consul General and the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, which is not to endanger China’s national security, not to engage in political infiltration in Hong Kong and not defame or harm Hong Kong’s development prospects. ”, Said the office of him.
Liu also urged May to respect diplomatic ethics, the office added.
The US consulate in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
May, in her speech to the US Center for Strategic and International Studies, also cited a decision by China’s legislature that allows Hong Kong’s executive branch to decide whether foreign lawyers can participate in national security cases in the city.
The decision came after the city’s high court allowed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai to hire a British lawyer to represent him as he fights collusion charges that could carry a life sentence if convicted.
Liu’s office accused May of slandering the rule of law and freedom in Hong Kong when she questioned the legal decision made in Beijing and other changes in the Hong Kong government.
The United States and other democracies have criticized China’s crackdown on political freedoms in the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997 with Beijing’s promise to uphold Western-style freedoms under a “one country, two systems”.
Hong Kong is among a host of issues that have brought ties between Beijing and Washington to their lowest level in years, including technology and trade, human rights, threats against Taiwan and China’s claims in the Sea of South China.