UK has no moral duty on Hong Kong: China

Beijing says the UK has had no moral responsibility for what happens in Hong Kong since its return to China, amid tensions between the two countries over the former British colony.

According to Press TV, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the remarks on Wednesday during a news briefing in the Chinese capital Beijing.

Hua said: “Britain has no sovereignty over a Hong Kong that has returned to China, no authority and no right to oversight. There is no such thing as a moral responsibility.”

He added: “The real aim of a small minority of British people trying to use so-called moral responsibility to obscure the facts is to interfere in China’s internal affairs. Such an attempt cannot succeed, and is something China certainly cannot accept.”

The foreign minister’s remarks came a day after the UK government held an emergency debate following a ban imposed by Beijing, which prevents a British parliamentary delegation from visiting the former colony to monitor its progress in the 30 years since its handover was agreed in the UK.

Chinese authorities have warned that such an inquiry would be a highly inappropriate act that would be considered as interference in China’s internal affairs.