China says it won't let US 'kidnap' Security Council over Hong Kong bill

After the US and Britain called for a Security Council meeting over Hong Kong security law, China warned that it will not let Washington “kidnap” the world body. During a regular press briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the Security Council is not a tool that the United States can manipulate at will.

Zhao asserted that China and other countries that “uphold justice” at the global level will not allow the US to kidnap the Council for its own purposes. Beijing had blocked an official Security Council meeting called by the US on May 28 to discuss the national security law proposed by China.

The United States has raised concern over the new legislation proposed by China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), which critics say is aimed at undermining the higher degree of autonomy guaranteed under the Sino-British joint declaration. The US mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the issue is of “urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security”, and therefore requires the immediate attention of the Security Council.

Read: UK Considering Citizenship Path For Hong Kong Nationals Due To China's New Security Law

'Baseless request'

China’s Ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, immediately hit back at the US saying legislation on national security for Hong Kong is purely China's internal affairs and has nothing to do with the mandate of the Security Council. Taking to Twitter, the Ambassador said that China “categorically rejects the baseless request” of the US for a Security Council meeting, accusing the United States of “bullying”.

US President Donald Trump is set to announce response over the bill after China’s rubber-stamp parliament approved the legislation on May 28. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also notified the Congress that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant special status in trade relations.

Read: China Pledges To Support Hong Kong's Police As US Warns Against Interference

(Twitter / @MFA_China)