(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) China on Monday explained the refusal to allow British lawmakers to visit Hong Kong and urged them not to interfere in the city's affairs, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
"The Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government have told Britain several times that they resolutely opposed the so-called delegation of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee going to Hong Kong for a so-called investigation and asked for the visit to be canceled," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was quoted as saying at a press briefing in Beijing.
Hua was responding to a question regarding remarks by the chairman of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee saying China had acted in an overtly confrontational manner by refusing their access.
"If certain British lawmakers were determined to do this, that would be genuinely overt confrontation and not beneficial for Sino-British ties," she said.
"Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and the city's affairs are purely China's internal affairs." She also said the door is always open to those who are committed to enhancing Sino-British ties, but China firmly opposes and will never allow anyone interfere in its internal affairs.
Hong Kong, which returned to the Chinese rule from British colonial administration in 1997, has been plunged into political crisis following Beijing's refusal to grant citizens full universal suffrage.
The demonstrators have been occupying downtown streets since late September in protest at a decision on August 31 by China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, which says candidates in the 2017 Chief Executive election must be approved by a pro-Beijing nominating panel.
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