China rejects Britain's 'moral duty' to Hong Kong

BEIJING - China on Wednesday rejected Britain's "moral duty" to Hong Kong, adding some British lawmakers' attempts to meddle in China's internal affairs is "not acceptable" and "doomed to fail."

"Britain has no sovereignty over, no governance of, and no superintendence over Hong Kong since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

In an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Members of Parliament called on the British government to condemn China for refusing a delegation from the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee to visit Hong Kong. Some MPs claimed that as a party of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, Britain still has a "moral duty" to Hong Kong.

The Joint Declaration has made clear the respective obligations and responsibilities of China and Britain on China's resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong and arrangements for the transitional period, said Hua.

"Some British lawmakers tried to use this so-called 'moral duty' to mislead the public and interfere in China's internal affairs. This is not acceptable, and the attempt is doomed to fail," she said.