London (People’s Daily) – China's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Zheng Zeguang, on Tuesday expressed serious concerns with the UK about its unwarranted accusations against the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) during his meeting with relevant officials from the UK Foreign Office.

Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong. (Photo: Xinhua)

The ambassador was unequivocal that the UK must stop anti-China political maneuvering to avoid further jeopardizing China-UK relations.

Zheng said the UK fabricated the so-called case on Monday to smear and attack the HKSAR government. For some time now, the UK has staged a series of accusations against China, including those on "China spies" and cyber attacks.

"All those accusations are groundless and slanderous. The UK side has also wantonly harassed, arrested and detained Chinese citizens in the UK under the pretext of judicial and national security. This constitutes a grave provocation against China and severely contravenes basic norms of international relations. It is totally unacceptable," he said.

The ambassador said that Hong Kong has long returned to China, and the UK has no right and is in no position to point fingers at and meddle in Hong Kong affairs.

The Chinese government remains firmly resolved in fighting anti-China elements seeking to disrupt Hong Kong and upholding the region's stability and prosperity, he said, adding that the UK's harboring of wanted criminals tramples on the rule of law and leads nowhere.

The ambassador urged the UK side to immediately correct its wrongdoing, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop spreading lies about the so-called "China threat," stop its provocations against China and stop its arbitrary law enforcement against Chinese citizens in the UK. He also called on the UK side to ensure the safety and legitimate rights and interests of all the Chinese institutions and personnel in the UK.

"We want to make it clear to the UK side: any move to interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine our interests will be met with a firm response. The UK side must not go further down the dangerous path of jeopardizing China-UK relations," he said.