New diplomat promotes ties with Europe

Foreign ministry also reiterates that Hong Kong is purely an internal affair

China has appointed veteran diplomat Wu Hongbo as its first special representative of European affairs to promote ties and cooperation with Europe, Beijing said on Friday.

Wu, born in 1952, was the United Nations under-secretary-general from 2012 to 2017, and served in a number of diplomatic posts in the Chinese government, including assistant minister of foreign affairs and ambassador to the Philippines and Germany.

Wu is familiar with European affairs, and will assist the Foreign Ministry in dealing with them, the ministry's spokesman Geng Shuang said at a news conference on Friday.

Wu will also work to promote high-level exchanges between China and Europe and "make unremitting efforts" to deepen bilateral ties, Geng said.

As important powers in the world, China and Europe have cooperated in many levels and areas, Geng said, and they share broad common interests in maintaining multilateralism and free trade and building an open world economy.

The establishment of the new post will help strengthen communication, coordination and cooperation, deepen mutual trust and promote innovation together, the spokesman added.

China and Europe have seen high-level exchanges this year, and they emphasized the need to work together to uphold multilateralism.

Trade between China and the European Union hit a record high of more than $682 billion in 2018, and the EU has been China's largest trading partner for 15 years, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Hong Kong

China also voiced strong dissatisfaction over the latest semiannual report on Hong Kong issued by Britain.

Hong Kong affairs belong purely to China's domestic affairs, Geng reiterated on Friday, and no foreign government, organization or individual has a right to interfere.

"Britain has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong. It has no so-called responsibility for Hong Kong," Geng said.

"We urge Britain to face the reality, respect China's sovereignty, stop issuing the report, and stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and interfering in China's domestic affairs in any way," he said.

Since Hong Kong's return, the Chinese government has been administering the special administrative region in strict accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law. China has effectively implemented the policies of "one country, two systems", allowing the people of Hong Kong to govern the city, and with a high degree of autonomy, Geng said.

The Chinese government is firmly determined in fully and accurately implementing "one country, two systems", safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining the long0term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, he added.