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Hong Kong elections: Beijing diplomat ramps up warnings against foreign interference in Legislative Council poll
- In a rare media briefing at the foreign ministry’s local office, deputy commissioner Pan Yundong also defends Beijing’s overhaul of electoral system
- ‘We will not allow any foreign forces to make irresponsible remarks with their ulterior motives,’ he says
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A senior Chinese diplomat in Hong Kong has ramped up warnings against foreign countries with “ulterior motives” interfering in Sunday’s Legislative Council election, a day after Beijing rebuked the United Kingdom for allegedly attempting to do just that.
In a rare media briefing on Wednesday, Pan Yundong, the deputy commissioner of the Chinese foreign ministry’s Hong Kong office, also defended the city’s new electoral system, which has drawn criticism from the West since it was overhauled by Beijing earlier this year to ensure only “patriots” held office.
“Whether Hong Kong’s democratic electoral system is good or not depends on whether it helps the city maintain long-term stability,” Pan told reporters at the ministry’s offices on Kennedy Road.
“Hong Kong’s Legco election is China’s internal affair; we will not allow any foreign forces to make irresponsible remarks with their ulterior motives.”
The ministry had used similar language in lashing out at a report issued by British foreign minister Liz Truss on Tuesday suggesting that Hong Kong’s judicial independence hung in the balance amid what she termed “politicised prosecution decisions” under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
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