Chinese ambassador to Britain rejects claims that Beijing had a hand in Hong Kong extradition bill
- Liu Xiaoming says amendment to the extradition bill was initiated by the Hong Kong government
- Liu, China’s top envoy in London, also warned Britain against intervening in former colony
In an interview with British broadcaster the BBC, Liu Xiaoming, China’s top envoy in London since 2009, said Beijing never instructed Hong Kong to amend the legislation.
“[The media] portrayed the story as the Hong Kong government made this amendment [as a result of the] instruction of the Beijing government,” Liu said.
“As a matter of fact, [the] Beijing central government gave no instruction, no order about making [the] amendment. This amendment was initiated by the Hong Kong government, it was prompted by a murder case in Taiwan.”
The day-long confrontations largely died down after police used rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters, who hurled various objects at the officers and repeatedly tried to push through their defensive lines.