China warns Boris Johnson UK will 'bear the consequences' if further steps taken against Beijing

Beijing's ambassador to UK Liu Xiaoming says: 'China has never interfered in the UK’s internal affairs. The UK should do the same China'

(AFP/Getty)

Boris Johnson has been warned the UK will “bear the consequences” if it continues to toughen it stance towards China after the foreign secretary announced the suspension of an extradition treaty with Hong Kong following the imposition of a draconian national security law.

It comes as diplomatic tensions continue to escalate between London and Beijing over the treatment of the territory and increasing concerns of human rights violations against the Uighurs Muslim minority in China’s north-Western Xinjiang province.

In a Commons statement on Monday, Dominic Raab said the UK had immediately and indefinitely suspended the extradition arrangement with Hong Kong, which has been in place for over three decades, as dissidents could end up being sent to Beijing.

The foreign secretary said the new security law, imposed last month, was a “clear and serious violation” of the UK-China declaration, and also went further by announcing a ban on sales of “potentially lethal weapons” to Hong Kong – extending an embargo in place with mainland China since 1989.

But in response to Mr Raab’s comments, Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to London said: “The UK blatantly interfered in China’s internal affairs and contravened international law and the basic norms governing international relations. China has never interfered in the UK’s internal affairs.

"The UK should do the same China. Otherwise it must bear the consequences.”

On Tuesday, the prime minister will also hold meetings with the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who arrived in the UK yesterday, with China expected to be high on the agenda. Just hours ago Mr Pompeo’s office tweeted: “We are watching the world unite to come to understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”

In a statement posted by the Chinese Embassy in the UK, a spokesperson added: “Now the UK side has gone even further down the wrong road in disregard of China’s solemn position and repeated representations.

"It once again contravened international law and the basic norms governing international relations and blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs in an attempt to disrupt the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong SAR and undermine the city's prosperity and stability.”

The statement added that China will “fight back” at moves to “interfere in its internal affairs”, adding: “China urges the UK side to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are China’s internal affairs, in any form. The UK will bear the consequences if it insists on going down the wrong road.”

Ahead of Mr Raab’s comments to MPs, the prime minister, however, warned he would not be pushed into “becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe on every issues”.

“But we do have serious concerns,” he added. “We have concerns about the treatment of the Uighurs minority obviously, about the human rights abuses.”