Chinese Amb.: If UK Makes China a Hostile Country, It Will Bear Consequences
By Staff, Agencies
Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the UK, has warned the UK against “making China a hostile country”, saying otherwise it will have to “bear consequences.”
Liu has referred to Hong Kong as the territory that is “no longer under colonial rule” but that is part of China, expressing hope that the UK won't interfere in the Asian country's internal affairs.
He contended that the country would in no way “brook any external interference”, as no one should underestimate China's determination to safeguard its sovereignty.
Addressing the Huawei issue, as the UK has been weighing the prospect of backtracking on giving the telecoms giant access to the domestic market, Liu suggested it's up to the UK if it opts to pay “higher price for lower quality.” He asserted at that that an agreement on Huawei “is a win-win example of UK-China collaboration.”
The comments came weeks after the national security law for Hong Kong was unanimously passed, on 30 June, by the top Chinese legislative body, the standing committee of the National People’s Congress [NPC], later signed by President Xi Jinping. The law aimed at boosting security and safety is seen by Hong Kong residents as a violation of their liberties.
Following the adoption of the HK Security Law, the United Kingdom moved to call out the move, with PM Johnson denouncing the legislation as one that breaches the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The ambassador tweeted in response that “UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of “supervision” over Hong Kong whatsoever”, and stressed that Hong Kong issues are China's internal affair alone and no business of the outside world's.
Earlier, the United Kingdom, in response to the new security law, offered UK citizenship rights for nearly 3 million British Nationals Overseas [BNO] in Hong Kong and their immediate families, providing them rights to live in the UK for five years and then apply for settled status and citizenship. The move prompted criticism from Beijing, blasting the UK for its attempt to get involved in the internal affairs of a sovereign country. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at the time China “reserves the right to take corresponding countermeasures”.
Another point of contention between the two countries is the Huawei issue, as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly been offered a set of plausible reasons to back out of his previous decision to allow the Chinese firm Huawei to play a limited – up to 35 percent – role in the rollout of the UK’s 5G infrastructure and more specifically, supply some “non-core” components to this end.
