UN Security Council also conflicted over Hong Kong issue... US and UK pressure vs China and Russia opposition

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 29th (local time), the United States, the United Kingdom, and others urged the United Nations Security Council to halt the enactment of China's Hong Kong National Security Law, but China and Russia reportedly strongly opposed it.

According to AFP and other sources, the UN Security Council held a closed virtual meeting that day and addressed the Hong Kong issue as other business. Although it is customary for the Security Council to obtain unanimous consent from all 15 member states to hold a virtual meeting on a specific agenda, China opposed holding the meeting, so the issue was discussed as other business during a meeting on a different agenda.

According to the reports, Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN, stated, "We hope the Chinese government will halt (the Hong Kong Security Law) and reflect the serious and legitimate concerns raised within Hong Kong and worldwide." Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, said on Twitter, "The free world must stand with the people of Hong Kong."

In response, Zhang Jun, China's Ambassador to the UN, told the United States and the United Kingdom to "immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs." The Chinese Mission to the UN also stated in a press release, "Any attempt to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal affairs will fail."

Russia also supports China's position. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, described the discussion at the Security Council as a "provocation" on Twitter, saying, "We never discuss the internal affairs of member states. It is like opening Pandora's box and will harm the United States as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.