Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi has condemned the attempts of foreign governments to meddle in the domestic affairs of Beijing, warning them against interfering in the situation in China's Xinjiang region and in Hong Kong.
His warning came in the wake of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying that he had raised the issue of Xinjiang and Hong Kong in negotiations with Wang Yi and reminded him of Paris' concerns regarding alleged human rights violations taking place there.
Foreign Governments Condemn Beijing's Domestic Politics
France, along with other western countries, earlier expressed concern regarding re-education camps purportedly used to incarcerate Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as well as regarding a new national security law introduced in Hong Kong at the end of June 2020. The law criminalised any calls for Hong Kong to secede, attempts to subvert the Chinese government, and collude with foreign states against Beijing. The new piece of legislation applies on the semi-autonomous island, whose legal system had so far remained separate from the one on mainland China, as well as beyond China’s borders.
Western governments have accused Beijing of violating its promise to keep Hong Kong semi-autonomous. Beijing, however, has dismissed all the accusations, defending the move as its sovereign decision regarding a domestic matter. While some countries, specifically the US, have mulled imposing sanctions on China, potentially as severe as targeting the entire Communist Party, Beijing has condemned these suggestions as attempts at meddling in its internal affairs.