China calls 12 Hong Kong people arrested at sea by mainland authorities 'separatists'

China on September 13 said the 12 Hong Kong residents, arrested at the sea last month, were "separatists", in a response to the United States, who dubbed the detention as a human rights violation. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called out her US counterpart Morgan Ortagus for calling them "democratic activists" alleging that they were arrested for illegally crossing the border. The 12 people were arrested by the Guangdong coast guard on August 23 for allegedly trying to cross into Taiwan. 

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This comes a day after relatives of the 12 people arrested by the Chinese authorities appeared before the press demanding immediate transfer of their kin to Hong Kong. The relatives, who appeared before the media were hiding their identity by wearing face masks and hats. 

Read: Relatives Urge China To Return 12 Detainees To Hong Kong

"Legitimate governments do not need to wall their countries in and prevent their citizens from leaving. The arrest of 12 Hong Kong democracy activists is another sad example of the deterioration of human rights in Hong Kong. Authorities in Guangdong must ensure due process," US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus had said on Twitter. 

Hua Chunying shared a screenshot of Morgan's tweet and asked her to fact check her claims adding that the people arrested were "elements attempting to separate Hong Kong from China".

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Hong Kong-China tensions

Hong Kong has been witnessing protests since last year after Beijing tried to push legislation in the former British colony that would have allowed the extradition of city residents to mainland China. People took to streets to protest against the bill and forced the Chinese Communist Party to ultimately withdraw it. Hong Kong has its own legal system which is very different from the one in the mainland. China has repeatedly tried to change that by bringing bills and legislation. 

In July, China implemented the controversial National Security Law that would allow Beijing to prosecute anyone suspected of anti-national activities. Critics argue that China will use the law to target dissent and to curb freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

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