Chinese envoy repeats criticism of German politicians who met Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong
- September encounter ‘a direct provocation’ of Beijing’s ire, ambassador Wu Ken says
- Incident ‘severely disrupted’ Chinese-German relations
China’s ambassador to Germany has lashed out at German politicians for expressing support for Hong Kong protesters, calling a September meeting in Berlin between German lawmakers and activist Joshua Wong “a direct provocation” of Beijing’s ire.
“It is a shame that Germany allowed a Hong Kong separatist to visit and meet with political leaders, including the foreign minister himself,” Wu Ken said in a speech at La Redoute Club in Bonn, Germany, on Monday. The encounter “has severely disrupted” the European country’s relations with China, Wu said.
The remarks came as China stepped up its criticism of the US, Britain and other countries over their “meddling” in China’s internal affairs.
Western countries and organisations including the European Council have called for restraint as some of the most intense clashes of the nearly six-month old protest movement in Hong Kong have occurred at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
In his speech, Wu questioned why Germans were interested in Hong Kong, noting that Britain had controlled the city until it reverted to Chinese control in 1997 and arguing that the US was using Hong Kong as a bargaining chip in its trade war talks with China.