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| China on Thursday accused the UK of sheltering "wanted criminals" after prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law said he had been granted political asylum there. (Photo by= AFP/Anthony Wallace) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] China on Thursday (Apr 8) accused the UK of sheltering "wanted criminals" following prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law said he had been granted political asylum there.
AFP said that London and Beijing are at bitter odds over the fate of Hong Kong, with Britain accusing China of tearing up its promise to maintain key liberties in the former colonial territory for 50 years after the handover.
Law revealed Wednesday that he was granted asylum in Britain, after fleeing the semi-autonomous territory following the introduction of sweeping Chinese security laws. "The UK is clearly a platform for Hong Kong independence agitators, and provides so-called shelter for wanted criminals," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. Law, a 27-year-old former Hong Kong lawmaker, and student activist fled to the UK in July 2020 in the weeks after the National Security Law, opposed by pro-democracy protesters, was imposed.
Meanwhile, describing Law as a "criminal suspect," Zhao called the move "gross interference" in Hong Kong's judiciary. Law's fate and the fate of potentially millions of Hong Kongers who Britain has offered a route to escape China's crackdown, has become a point of bitter diplomatic contention between Beijing and London, which ceded the former colonial territory in 1997.
