Published 13:12 IST, June 12th 2020
Hong Kong rejects UK's criticism of new security law as 'biased and inaccurate'
As the UK criticised Beijing’s move to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong, the city said that the report by Britain was 'inaccurate and biased'.
As the UK government criticised Beijing’s move to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong and said that it was a clear violation of China’s international obligations and a breach of the "one country, two systems" formula, the former British colony on June 12 reportedly said that the report by Britain was ‘inaccurate and biased’.
According to an international media report, the British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab in a six-monthly report on Hong Kong wrote that there is still time for China to reconsider, to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and respect its own international obligations. Rabb reportedly also said that a solution to the protests in the city must come from Hong Kong and it cannot be imposed from mainland China.
HK calls UK reports ‘inaccurate and biased’
However, the Hong Kong government rejected UK’s criticism and reportedly said that it firmly opposed the report’s by UK. The HK authorities said that the report was ’inaccurate and biased’ remarks on the national security law and the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the city. The Hong Kong government also said that any allegation that the law will undermine the Hongkongers freedoms and ‘one country, two systems’ is no more than alarmist speculation and simply fallacious.
Furthermore, the authorities reportedly said that the legislating on national security was within the purview of Beijing and the law would help better protect the rights of Hong Kong people while restoring stability in the financial centre. China and the former British colony have repeatedly also insisted in the past that the new legislation will focus on small numbers of ‘troublemakers’ who pose a threat to national security. They also said that the law will not curb freedoms or hurt investors.
However, several countries including the United States, Britain, Australia, and Canada have raised concern over the new legislation. Earlier, the US and UK had also reportedly urged the United Nations to address the “serious concerns” of China’s move on Hong Kong’s autonomy. The citizens in the city have also been protesting against a national security law that was presented by the National People’s Congress (NPC) and later approved by China’s rubber-stamp parliament.
Updated 13:12 IST, June 12th 2020