China’s Foreign Ministry has urged Australia to abandon its interference in Hong Kong’s affairs and lashed out at the country for granting protection visas to Hong Kong passport holders in December.
“Hong Kong affairs fall entirely within China’s internal affairs. No foreign country has the right to interfere,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
“China urges Australia to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any way, to avoid further damage to China-Australia relations,” Wang said.
A report from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs on the processing of Subclass 866 onshore protection visas indicated that fewer than five Hong Kong passport holders had their applications approved in December.
The allocation marked the first time that such visas were granted to passport holders from the region since at least 2010, according to Australian media reports.
Sino-Australian relations have been in a downward spiral since April last year, when Canberra angered Beijing by proposing an independent international inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Canberra has been locked in an ongoing trade war with Beijing for several months, which has seen China slap sanctions on various Australian products.