China accuses UK of 'basking in the faded glory of British colonialism' after Hong Kong criticism

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Hong Kong police investigating crime scene after protesters ransack parliament building

Hundreds of demonstrators smashed their way into Hong Kong's parliament building as protests continue over a proposed Chinese extradition law; Greg Palkot reports.

China’s foreign ministry lashed back Wednesday at criticism by Britain’s foreign secretary on the recent protests in Hong Kong, saying the region’s former ruling power had no right to weigh in on their affairs.

Chinese ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Jeremy Hunt appeared to be “basking in the faded glory of British colonialism and obsessed with lecturing others.”

Hunt, who is in the running to be the next British prime minister, criticized Hong Kong authorities and said an outbreak of vandalism in the legislative chambers by protesters Monday night should not be used as a “pretext for repression.”

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“[Authorities need to] understand the root causes of what happened, which is a deep-seated concern by people in Hong Kong that their basic freedoms are under attack,” said Hunt.

Conservative party leadership contender Jeremy Hunt speaks during a party leadership hustings in Belfast, Northern Ireland Tuesday July 2, 2019. (AP)

Geng said Hong Kong’s democracy was restricted by the U.K. prior to its handover to China in 1997, and the U.K. had no authority to comment on matters in the territory.

While British rule did not bestow Hong Kong with the right of democracy, it laid the groundwork for strong civic institutions, educational systems, health care, and a laissez-faire trading system dominated by businesses dedicated to keeping Hong Kong semi-autonomous. A 1984 agreement additionally stated that Hong Kong would be able to retain its Western-style economic, legal and political freedoms for 50 years.

“The U.K. considers itself as a guardian which is nothing but a delusion,” Geng told reporters at a briefing. “It is just shameless to say that Hong Kong’s freedoms are negotiated for them by the British side.”

CHINA SAYS HONG KONG PROTESTERS' STORMING OF GOVERNMENT BUILDING 'TOTALLY INTOLERABLE'

FILE - In this March 12, 2019, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The country's foreign ministry announced on Monday, March 18, 2019 that Xi will visit Italy, France and Monaco from Thursday to March 26. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Beijing has backed both Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her police forces in handling the recent protests, which have underlined doubts about the legitimacy of the “one country, two systems” formula that governs the semi-autonomous enclave.

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Millions of citizens took to the streets throughout the past two months after Lam attempted to pass an extradition bill that would allow criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be apprehended and extradited to mainland China for trial. Experts say the bill puts critics of China’s ruling Communist Party at risk of torture and unfair trials in the mainland and further chips away at Hong Kong’s judicial independence and civil liberties it was promised after its handover in 1997.

While Lam has shelved the bill, she has not agreed to abandon it as protestors demand. Many have also marched for Lam’s resignation, a request she has refused to address.

Fox News' Morgan Cheung and the Associated Press contributed to this report.