Beijing summons US ambassador to voice ‘resolute opposition’ & warn of ‘consequences’ for meddling in Hong Kong affairs

Calling on US lawmakers to “correct the mistakes,” Beijing’s Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang issued a harsh statement on Monday condemning the “human rights” bills and urging for a meeting with Ambassador Terry Branstad.

“The Chinese side strongly urges the US to recognize the situation ... prevent the above-mentioned Hong Kong bill from becoming a law, and stop any words and deeds that intervene in Hong Kong affairs,” Zheng said, warning that “all the consequences arising therefrom must be borne entirely by the United States.”

China expresses its strong resentment and resolute opposition.

The two Hong Kong bills passed through the US House and Senate last week with virtually no opposition, leaving the final decision to sign them into law in President Trump’s hands. If passed, the bills would create a “certification” process under the State Department which would rate Hong Kong’s level of “autonomy,” with Washington possibly levying sanctions if the agency turns in a negative assessment.

Though the president has suggested he might veto the legislation for the sake of retaining progress made in trade talks with Beijing, at home he faces immense pressure from a virtually unified Congress to give the go-ahead.

In his statement, Zheng also accused Washington of “[disregarding] the facts” to such a degree that it would “refer to the deer as a horse,” and slammed all support for Hong Kong’s protesters, who he called “anti-China chaos forces.”

He reiterated China’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” arrangement for Hong Kong, as well as Beijing’s “determination to oppose any outside forces interference” in China’s affairs.