US, UK raise concerns over Hong Kong security law in UNSC

China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said in a statement after the meeting that the US and UK should "mind their own business," adding that, "Any attempt to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal matters is doomed to fail." China's parliament on Thursday passed the proposal to impose a new national security law in Hong Kong.

New York:The United States and the United Kingdom on Friday raised concerns about China's plans to impose a new security law in Hong Kong at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The 15-member council informally discussed Hong Kong in a closed virtual meeting after China opposed the US call for a formal open council meeting, Al Jazeera reported.

US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft asked, "Are we going to take the honourable stand to defend the human rights and the dignified way of life that millions of Hong Kong citizens have enjoyed and deserve ... or are we going to allow the Chinese Communist Party to violate international law and force its will on the people of Hong Kong?"

"This legislation risks curtailing the freedoms that China has undertaken to uphold as a matter of international law," the UK's acting UN ambassador, Jonathan Allen, said after the council discussion.

"We are also extremely concerned that ... it will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong," Allen added.

Chinese and Russian diplomats chided the US while responding during the council discussion, criticising Washington over the Minneapolis killing of an unarmed African-American man.

"Why the US denies China's right to restore peace and order in Hong Kong while brutally dispersing crowds at home?" Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy posted on Twitter after the council discussion.

China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said in a statement after the meeting that the US and UK should "mind their own business," adding that "any attempt to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal matters is doomed to fail."

China's parliament on Thursday passed the proposal to impose a new national security law in Hong Kong.

In a joint statement, the US, UK, Canada and Australia on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over China's decision to impose national security law in Hong Kong, saying the move would undermine the "one country, two systems" framework and is in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding.

(With inputs from ANI)