China tells "colonial" Britain: hands off Hong Kong

China said on Wednesday the British seem to have forgotten that Hong Kong is no longer a colony, warning London to keep its hands off the territory.

"In the minds of some people, they regard Hong Kong as still under British rule. They forget ... that Hong Kong has now returned to the embrace of the Motherland," China's ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, said.

"I tell them: hands off Hong Kong and show respect," Liu added. "This colonial mindset is still haunting the minds of some officials or politicians."