HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Hong Kong government hit back on Friday at a report by Britain criticising Beijing’s move to impose national security legislation on the global financial hub, saying the report was “inaccurate and biased”.
FILE PHOTO: The Chinese and Hong Kong flags flutter at the office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, ahead of a news conference held by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, in Beijing, China June 3, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
The British government said the proposed legislation was a clear violation of China’s international obligations and a breach of the “one country, two systems” formula that has governed the former British colony since its handover to Chinese rule in 1997.
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said a solution to the year-long unrest in Hong Kong, which has been marked by sometimes violent clashes between protesters and police, must come from within the city, not from Beijing.
Hong Kong’s government said it firmly opposed the “inaccurate and biased remarks on the national security law and the high degree of autonomy (in Hong Kong).”
Local and Beijing authorities have insisted the legislation will focus on small numbers of “troublemakers” who pose a threat to national security and will not curb freedoms or hur