Hong Kong tells America to stop ‘scaremongering’ over city’s future after Beijing warns US consul general to stay out of financial hub’s affairs
- Hong Kong government attacks US ‘smearing’ of city after American consul general rejects warning by Beijing’s man in city to stop criticism
- Political pundits say better Hong Kong-American relations impossible without Sino-US harmony
Hong Kong authorities on Saturday hit out at the United States consulate in the city over its promise to continue to voice its deep concerns over the financial hub’s future and insisted Washington’s “scaremongering” only reflected its “ill intent”.
The latest row broke out after a meeting between Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of Beijing’s foreign office in Hong Kong, and US Consul General Gregory May last week, where the Beijing official laid down three red lines for the American diplomat.
The Hong Kong government said it rejected the “smearing” of the city and “the explicit mention of no hesitation to express the so-called ‘deep concern’ about it” by the consulate.
“The US insistence on scaremongering, in the belief that repeating prejudice-driven, self-created misrepresentation numerous times will turn it into a truth, simply reflects its lack of integrity as well as its ill intent,” the government said.
It weighed in after Liu warned May not to endanger China’s national security, not to engage in political infiltration in Hong Kong and not to talk down the city’s prospects for development.
