China has lodged a diplomatic protest with Britain after London demanded to know why a British human rights activist was barred from entering Hong Kong, it said Thursday.
Immigration agents stopped Benedict Rogers, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party’s human rights commission, from entering the former British colony on Wednesday morning.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson voiced concern and said his government would be “seeking an urgent explanation”.
China “launched stern representations” over the comments, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during a regular press briefing.
“The central government is responsible for Hong Kong-related diplomatic affairs,” she said, adding: “who can get in and who cannot is within our sovereignty.”
“Hong Kong affairs are China’s domestic affairs. We oppose the interference in China’s domestic affairs in any way by any foreign government, institution or person.”
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 under a “One country, two systems” formula intended to protect its freedoms and way of life. The semi-autonomous city is supposed to handle its own immigration affairs.
In an interview also on Thursday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam too cited the central government’s responsibility “for Hong Kong’s foreign relations” when asked about the case.
Asked whether the case fell under “foreign relations”, Lam declined to provide further details. Pushed on whether Hong Kong handled its own immigration affairs, the city leader said it depended if any “foreign relation issues” were involved.
Hong Kong’s immigration department said it did not comment on individual cases.
But Hua said that Rogers “meant to interfere in China’s domestic affairs and the judicial independence of Hong Kong”.
The barring of Rogers, who has spoken out against the jailing of Hong Kong democracy activists, came a week before a major congress in Beijing of the ruling Communist Party.
The activist said he believed the embassy had somehow become aware of private discussions he had had about possibly visiting the campaigners in prison, which he later realised would not be possible.
Additional reporting Coconuts Hong Kong
Reader Interactions