Yang Jiechi Tells US To Stop Interfering In HK

China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi has told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington must stop interfering in Hong Kong, the foreign ministry in Beijing said on Thursday.

At a meeting in Hawaii, Yang said the US needs to respect Beijing's positions on key issues, halt its interference in issues such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang and work to repair bilateral relations.

Yang, the director of the Office of Foreign Affairs, told Pompeo that Beijing resolutely objects to a statement issued by G7 nations calling for a rethink of the planned national security legislation for Hong Kong.

The foreign ministers of the US, Japan, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy had expressed "grave concerns" over the incoming law and said the move to impose it on the SAR goes against the Basic Law and China's international commitments under the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Beijing said the meeting had been constructive and the two sides agreed to continue engagement.

"Both sides fully articulated their countries' respective positions, and believe that this was a constructive dialogue. Both sides agreed to take action to implement the consensus reached by leaders of both countries," Xinhua News Agency said.

Pompeo stressed "the need for fully-reciprocal dealings between the two nations across commercial, security, and diplomatic interactions," US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

"He also stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks." (Additional reporting by Reuters)

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