US, Britain corner China with questions on Hong Kong at UN Security Council meeting

Amid the political spiral around China's move in Hong Kong, the United States and United Kingdom have urged the United Nations to address “serious concerns” regarding the territory's autonomy.

According to an international media agency, while China warned the 27 members of the UN Security Council against “interference” in Hong Kong, American and British representatives tried to pressurise the peace-making body into taking some action. This comes just days after the UK, Canada and Australia jointly raised ‘deep concerns’ over China’s new security law that endangers Hong Kong’s autonomy. 

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Meanwhile, the European Union has said that China's move to limit Hong Kong’s autonomy with its new security law has damaged its ties with Beijing but also noted that imposing sanctions would not resolve the crisis situation.

EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrel Fontelles said in a press briefing on May 29 that the union expresses “grave concern” over the recent steps taken by China and noted that the developments in Hong Kong were “not in conformity with its international commitments”. 

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China held veto-power

According to reports, while the US and UK continued to raise the Hong Kong issue at the UN meet, China held veto-power and made any discussion on the subject impossible. Washington and London also noted that the autonomy of Hong Kong is a “legitimate international concern” according to the registered UN accord.

Moreover, US President Donald Trump also severely lashed out on China against the developments that undermine ‘One Country, Two System’ which incorporates the city under China’s rule. The US President said that the Chinese “broke their word” on Hong Kong’s autonomous nature and called the new security law a “tragedy”. 

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'Highly necessary' legislation

According to the Chinese diplomat, Hong Kong can not be separated from China, and “in light of new circumstances and need” the country has to exercise its power in the constitution for the new proposal which he termed as “highly necessary”.

The announcement was made after Chinese officials and delegates from Hong Kong met with the NPC. Since the former British colony came under China's rule in 1997, the move of sidelining Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous nature has been long under consideration and was last introduced in 2003. The diplomat even said that “new situation and demands” require new measures and calls for “necessary” action on the national level.

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