China chafes at UK inquiry into HK elections

China has warned Britain to stay out of its affairs in Hong Kong lest it put Sino-British ties at risk, South China Morning Post reported, citing China’s foreign ministry. The foreign ministry in Beijing confirmed the warning yesterday, in response to the UK’s position that China may have breached the terms of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. The debate arose after the National People’s Congress announced an electoral limitation under which only three candidates, handpicked by Beijing, could run for Hong Kong’s chief executive in 2017. “Issues concerning the political reform of Hong Kong fall into China’s domestic affairs, which allow no interference from the outside,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang said.