China has urged countries to steer clear of an event organized by the United Kingdom at the United Nations in Geneva, focusing on media freedom in Hong Kong, as revealed in a letter and confirmed by four diplomats on Tuesday.
The event, titled ‘Media Freedom in Hong Kong,’ is scheduled during the U.N. Human Rights Council’s five-week meeting, with speakers including Sebastien Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai, who is currently imprisoned in Hong Kong under charges related to the national security law and sedition.
A widely circulated letter from China’s mission at the U.N. in Geneva asked countries “to refrain from participating in this event in any way,” emphasizing that Hong Kong-related matters are China’s internal affairs.
Four diplomats acknowledged receiving the letter, with three of them disclosing that Chinese diplomats had also individually contacted certain countries to discourage their involvement or support for the event. These diplomats chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Nevertheless, at least 22 countries, including the United States, France, and Germany, have co-sponsored the event, according to a document. Both China’s and Britain’s diplomatic missions in Geneva have not yet responded to requests for comment from Reuters.
Diplomatic tensions between China and Britain have been escalating, with Britain alleging that China’s actions in Hong Kong violate a handover agreement that guaranteed broad freedoms when the city returned to Chinese rule from Britain in 1997.
In a recent report, Britain criticized Hong Kong authorities for extending the application of a Beijing-imposed national security law “beyond genuine national security concerns.” Jimmy Lai’s trial under this law has been postponed to December 18 and is expected to last 80 days.
As China seeks re-election to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, it has previously tried to counter criticism of its human rights record. Last year, it urged the then-U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, not to publish a highly-anticipated report on Uyghur detention in Xinjiang, which suggested that China’s actions might constitute crimes against humanity.
