China, US Clash In UN Council Over Hong Kong

The United States and China clashed over Hong Kong at the United Nations after Beijing opposed a request by Washington for the Security Council to meet over China's plan to impose new national security legislation on the territory.

The US mission to the United Nations said in a statement that the issue was "a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security" and therefore warranted the immediate attention of the 15-member council.

China "categorically rejects the baseless request" because the national security legislation for Hong Kong was an internal matter and "has nothing to do with the mandate of the Security Council," China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun posted on Twitter.

The US said China's opposition to a Security Council meeting on Hong Kong coupled with its "gross cover-up and mismanagement of the Covid-19 crisis, its constant violations of its international human rights commitments, and its unlawful behaviour in the South China Sea, should make obvious to all that Beijing is not behaving as a responsible UN member state."

Zhang responded: "Facts prove again and again that the US is the trouble maker of the world. It is the US who has violated its commitments under the international law. China urges the US to immediately stop its power politics and bullying practices."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for its special status under US law because China had undermined its autonomy, potentially dealing a crushing blow to the territory's status as a major financial hub.  (Reuters)