China accuses the United Kingdom of interference due to report on Hong Kong

China has accused the UK of serious interference in its internal affairs following a British report criticizing the decline of freedoms in Hong Kong. The Chinese embassy in the UK rejected the UK's 'irresponsible statements' and argued that the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration does not grant London any rights to oversee Hong Kong's affairs post-sovereignty transfer. Beijing emphasized that Hong Kong's legal framework is based on the Chinese Constitution and the region's Basic Law, urging the UK to abandon its colonial mindset. The British report highlighted the expansion of national security legislation in Hong Kong and its increasing impact on freedoms. It also mentioned the 20-year prison sentence of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, and called for his immediate release. The UK maintains that China is violating the 1984 Declaration, which promised a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong for 50 years after the handover.