Politicians around world decry US law

Efforts made by any country to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity should be supported and respected, foreign politicians said.

South Africa's deputy minister of home affairs, Njabulo Nzuza, said during a recent visit to Beijing that the United States' Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act has set a "very bad precedent" by sending a signal that countries are entitled to interfere in the affairs of others.

"It means wherever my country does not agree with how you are running your own affairs, I can then make proclamations on how things are to be done," he said. "That is not the right way of doing things."

He called on the US to stop interfering with the affairs in Hong Kong and respect China's sovereignty. No country has the right to meddle in other's affairs, Nzuza said.

"We call upon anyone, including the United States of America, not to interfere in the work of other countries," he said, "I think that they have a lot that they must deal with themselves, and (should) leave the issue of Hong Kong to the people of Hong Kong."

Nzuza said he is worried about the situation in Hong Kong because instability in the business hub could have influence "across the world". He called for an end to violence in the city.

Any form of foreign interference in other countries' internal affairs should be opposed, Morocco's former minister of justice Mohamed Aujjar said in response to the US legislation.

Aujjar, who is a member of the National Rally of Independence, Morocco's second-largest party, is leading a party delegation that is visiting China.

"We pay high attention to the progress and development that the Communist Party of China has achieved," he said. "We especially support the Chinese president's efforts in maintaining the country's peace and stability under the current complex situation in the world."

Aujjar said all countries are entitled to the legitimate rights and interests to safeguard their national sovereignty. "We respect the series of policies that China adopted in order to solve its internal issues," he said, adding that China has the "absolute right" to manage its own affairs.

Aujjar said delegation members have seen for themselves the miracles of China's economic development and national governance. "We learned a lot from China's experience, including socialism with Chinese characteristics. We applaud the achievements China has made," he said.

US President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law in late November, provoking strong opposition and condemnation by China.

The move was "starkly hegemonic", as well as serious interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that the US has been distorting truth and openly backing violent criminals.

In response to the US move, China stopped accepting requests by US military vessels and aircraft to visit Hong Kong, and imposed sanctions on some US-headquartered NGOs "that played an egregious role" in the city's chaos over the past few months.