UK has no sovereignty, no jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over Hong Kong: Chinese FM spokeswoman

(ECNS) – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that in today's deeply interconnected world, the multiple challenges facing humanity require joint responses, while bloc politics and the Cold War mentality are against the trend of history and do not serve the interests of the UK or any other party in the world.

China has grown its relations with the UK in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, however, the UK has not kept up with the times and has been repeating old lines from an outdated playbook, which will only keep the UK itself further and further away from the advancement of our times, Mao added.

She noted that regarding the Hong Kong issue, all provisions concerning the UK under the Sino-British Joint Declaration have been fulfilled. The UK has no sovereignty, no jurisdiction or right of "supervision" over Hong Kong and no so-called "rights" or "responsibilities" concerning Hong Kong, she added.

Xinjiang enjoys economic development, social stability, religious harmony and cultural prosperity and people there lead a happy life, she said. “These are facts for all to see, yet the UK side chooses to be oblivious to this and has deliberately smeared and slandered China. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait is that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China.”

She pointed out that the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait comes from the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and the US connivance at and support for them. If the UK side wants sustained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it needs to strictly abide by the one-China principle and stand firmly against the "Taiwan independence" separatist activities.

"I want to reiterate that the Taiwan question and issues concerning Hong Kong and Xinjiang are purely China's internal affairs which brook no external interference. We urge the UK to be prudent in its words and actions, stop making groundless accusations against China and interfering in China’s internal affairs, and do more things that are conducive to the development of China-UK relations and world peace and stability," she said.