Beijing: China has strongly protested a US security alert issued over Hong Kong’s new national security enforcement rules, accusing Washington of interfering in its internal affairs.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Hong Kong office, in a statement issued on Saturday, said Commissioner Cui Jianchun met US Consul General Julie Eadeh on March 27 and expressed “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition,” urging Washington to stop meddling in Hong Kong’s affairs and China’s internal affairs “in any form.”
Hong Kong this month amended the enforcement rules for its national security regime, making it an offence in national security cases to refuse to provide passwords or other decryption assistance to access an electronic device, Reuters reported.
In response to the rule changes, the US Consulate General in Hong Kong issued a security alert on March 26, calling on US citizens to contact the Consulate “if you are arrested or detained in connection with the new security enforcement rules.”
A US Consulate spokesperson said, “We do not discuss the details of diplomatic engagements,” when asked to comment on the meeting between Cui and Eadeh.
