Chinese Embassy in UK, Mission of China to EU reject claims of UK, EU on sentence of Jimmy Lai, urge them to refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs
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Both the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the Mission of China to the EU rejected the latest claims made by the British side and the EU External Action on the sentencing of anti-China riots instigator Jimmy Lai on Monday, urging the British and the European sides to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.
We firmly oppose the UK side’s erroneous comments and urge the UK side to respect China’s judicial sovereignty and stop interfering in Hong Kong’s rule of law and China’s internal affairs, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said in a statement on Monday, in response to a statement issued by the British side on the 20-year-imprisonment sentence handed down by the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Monday.
The High Court of the HKSAR on Monday morning sentenced Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, to 20 years in prison.
Lai was found guilty in December by the High Court of the HKSAR on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. Mitigation hearing for Lai's case began on January 12 and concluded on January 13, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that the sentence is a "politically motivated prosecution" aimed at Lai "for exercising his right to freedom of expression," Sky News reported on Monday.
The facts make it clear that Jimmy Lai was by no means “exercising his right to freedom of expression”, as claimed by the UK side, but was instead a principal culprit who harmed China’s fundamental national interests and the well-being of Hong Kong residents and betrayed his country, the spokesperson said.
In response to the EU External Action’s statement on Lai’s sentence on Monday, the Mission of China to the EU said in a statement on Monday that the EU statement disregards facts and legal principles, openly interferes in Hong Kong’s judicial affairs, and constitutes a blatant intrusion into China’s internal affairs. Chinese side expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition.
Lai was the principal planner and participant in a series of anti-China and anti-Hong Kong incidents. His actions seriously undermined the fundamental principle of “One Country, Two Systems,” gravely endangered national security, and severely harmed Hong Kong’s prosperity, stability, and the wellbeing of its residents. There is every reason to bring him to justice, the Mission of China to the EU said.
Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law. The SAR’s judicial authorities independently and impartially handled Lai’s case in full accordance with the law; the proceedings were fair, reasonable, and legally sound, leaving no grounds for criticism, the Mission of China to the EU said.
Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal matters, and no external forces have the right to interfere. We urge the EU to genuinely respect China’s sovereignty and Hong Kong’s rule of law, refrain from making irresponsible remarks on the SAR’s judicial cases, and refrain from interfering in Hong Kong’s judiciary or China’s internal affairs in any form, it noted.
The spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the UK also noted that Hong Kong has long returned to China, and that British colonial rule over Hong Kong has long ended. The Sino-British Joint Declaration has long fulfilled its historical mission.
The constitutional and legal basis for the Chinese government’s governance of Hong Kong lies in the Chinese Constitution and Hong Kong’s Basic Law, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK side must stop using the Joint Declaration as a pretext to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, the spokesperson noted.
We urge the UK side to recognize the prevailing trend, abandon double standards, stop shielding criminals, and refrain from any words or actions that interfere in Hong Kong’s rule of law and China’s internal affairs, the spokesperson said.
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