Hong Kong China’s internal matter, says Pakistan at UN
October 08, 2020
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Tuesday made a joint statement on behalf of 55 countries telling the world that Hong Kong's affairs are an internal matter of China and underscored the importance of not interfering in the domestic affairs of sovereign states.
Pakistan said this in response to a statement by Germany urging China to respect the rights of Uighur Muslims and expressing concern about the political situation in Hong Kong.
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“The Hong Kong special administrative region is an inalienable part of China, and Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs that brook no interference by foreign forces,” Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram told the General Assembly's Third Committee.
Germany, on behalf of 39 countries, had called on Beijing to uphold the rights and freedoms of the residents of Hong Kong amid growing allegations of political repression following the imposition of a new national security law.
In his remarks, Akram named the countries which had authorised him to speak on their behalf, and said they supported China’s “one country, two systems” policy and stressed that legislative power on national security in any country rests with the state.
“The enactment of the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong is a legitimate measure that ensures the 'one country, two systems' [policy] goes steady and enduring, and that Hong Kong enjoys long term prosperity and stability,” he said.
“The legitimate rights and freedoms of Hong Kong's residents can be better exercised in a safe environment.”
Meanwhile, China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun strongly refuted the jarring rhetoric expressed by his German counterpart, Christoph Heusgen, and those “bent on provoking antagonism”.
He categorically rejected the disinformation that some countries were spreading to discredit China and attempting to meddle in its internal affairs, using the excuse of human rights.
