China Warns Joe Biden Administration to Stay Out of Hong Kong Affairs

China Warns Joe Biden Administration to Stay Out of Hong Kong Affairs

China has warned the incoming administration of Joe Biden not to interfere with matters in Hong Kong, following a tweet by the president-elect's pick for secretary of state.Antony Blinken is a seasoned Obama-era foreign policy adviser and, once confirmed by the Senate, will succeed a staunch China critic in Mike Pompeo.He tweeted in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement on Wednesday after local police confirmed they had arrested 53 activists for violating the city's national security law.The operation involved around 1,000 law enforcement officers who launched dawn raids at 72 locations, Hong Kong police told reporters."The Biden-Harris administration will stand with the people of Hong Kong and against Beijing's crackdown on democracy," Blinken wrote on Twitter.

Beijing sent a warning to the next American government later the same day, with foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying voicing support for the authority of the Hong Kong police."Hong Kong enjoys law and order," Hua told reporters at a regular briefing. "No other country has the right to make wanton criticism or interfere."The United States should "respect facts and the rule of law," she added, while calling on Washington to "stop fabricating all sorts of pretexts for wanton political suppression and restrictions against China."Authorities in