China called out the United Kingdom and its allies "for groundless slanders" at the weekend in response to criticism over Hong Kong electoral reforms introduced last week at the National People's Congress in Beijing.
"The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of 'supervision' over HK after the handover, and it has no so-called 'obligations' to HK citizens," the Chinese embassy in London said in a statement Sunday.
"No foreign country or organization has the right to take the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs."
Over the weekend, UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab called China's latest reforms in Hong Kong "a demonstration of the growing gulf between Beijing's promises and its actions," and he alleges that they represent a third breach to the 1984 declaration in less than nine months.
"Beijing's decision to impose radical changes to restrict participation in Hong Kong's electoral system constitutes a further clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British joint declaration," said Raab.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 by Margaret Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang, was intended to preserve the former colony's autonomy for 50 years following its return to China in 1997.
But in the view of many pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, 2047 has come early.
Under the proposed changes, the number of directly elected seats in Hong Kong's legislative assembly will shrink. Only "patriots" will be eligible for government roles and from next year onwards, 300 staunch CCP supporters from the mainland will help to select Hong Kong's chief executives.
"We also call on China and the Hong Kong authorities to restore confidence in Hong Kong's political institutions and end the unwarranted oppression of those who promote democratic values and the defence of rights and freedoms," a group of G7 foreign ministers wrote in a statement backing Raab.
Hong Kong officials condemned foreign interference in local issues. Any doubt over China's commitment to the 'one country, two systems' policy enshrined in the joint declaration is "groundless," according to the city's government.
