Britain's Xinjiang move "seriously poisoned" China-UK relations: ambassador

National flags of China and Britain are seen in front of the UK pavilion in the World Expo Park in Shanghai, east China, April 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

"The UK side should take full responsibility for the current difficulties in (the) China-UK relationship," said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming.

LONDON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain on Thursday slammed the British interference in China's internal affairs by raising the so-called "human rights issue" in Xinjiang, saying it has "seriously poisoned" the atmosphere of China-UK relationship.

In an online press conference, Liu Xiaoming, the ambassador, said the China-UK relationship has recently run into a series of difficulties and faced a grave situation.

"The UK side should take full responsibility for the current difficulties in (the) China-UK relationship," he said.

"China has never interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, including the UK, and we ask the same from other countries," Liu said.

A man herds at the summer meadow in Tekes County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

On Xinjiang, the senior diplomat said Britain has disregarded the facts and confused right and wrong.

"It flung slanders recklessly at China's Xinjiang-related policies and interfered in China's internal affairs by raising the so-called 'human rights issue' in Xinjiang, bilaterally and multilaterally," he said.

There has been blatant interference from Britain in Hong Kong affairs, which are also internal affairs of China, said Liu.

The British moves, including groundless accusations against the national security law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, change to the policy involving British National Overseas passport holders and suspension of the extradition treaty with Hong Kong, have severely disrupted the stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, according to Liu.

Radical protesters attack police officers in Tsuen Wan in the western New Territories of south China's Hong Kong, Aug. 25, 2019. (Xinhua)

Some British politicians cling to the Cold War mentality and echo the remarks of anti-China forces in and outside Britain, playing up the so-called "China threat" and seeing China as a "hostile state," he said.

But Liu also stressed that China's willingness to develop its partnership with Britain has not changed.

"A sound and stable China-UK relationship is not only in the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, but also conducive to world peace and prosperity," he said. "We have a thousand reasons to make this relationship successful, and not one reason to let it fail."  ■