China rejects U.S. call to release Hong Kong fugitives

China urged the United States to stop using the Hong Kong issue to interfere with its domestic affairs on Monday, after the U.S. embassy called for the release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives on trial in Shenzhen. Zhao also said that China is firmly opposed to these remarks and urged the United States to stop interfering with China's domestic affairs.

China urged the United States to stop using the Hong Kong issue to interfere with its domestic affairs on Monday, after the U.S. embassy called for the release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives on trial in Shenzhen. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in a statement on Monday that the "so-called crime" of these fugitives was to "flee tyranny" and that China will "stop at nothing" to prevent its people from seeking freedom elsewhere.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing that the U.S. remarks "disregard facts". Zhao also said that China is firmly opposed to these remarks and urged the United States to stop interfering with China's domestic affairs.