The Chinese Embassy is accusing the Five Eyes members, including New Zealand, of interfering with Hong Kong and China's affairs.
(File image) Photo: 123RF
Yesterday, New Zealand joined four other countries in a joint declaration to express their grave concerns about the Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong.
The election had a record-low voting turnout and almost all seats went to Pro-Beijing and pro-establishment candidates.
In a statement on Tuesday, New Zealand's Chinese Embassy claimed the elections are "politically inclusive, and ensures balanced participation and fair competition".
It also urged the Five Eyes alliance to "respect China's sovereignty, abide by international law and basic norms for international relations, be discreet with their words and deeds".
The embassy said it was "strongly concerned about and firmly opposed" to the statement, which it claims "smeared the Legislative Council election".
The embassy said no country had the right to use the joint declaration as a cover to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.
"Hong Kong is part of China. How to develop democracy in the SAR is purely China's domestic affair.
"Whether Hong Kong's democratic system is good or not should be judged by the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots.
"Attempts to interfere in China's domestic affairs and mess up Hong Kong are all doomed to failure."
It concluded the statement by saying the countries should "do more to promote Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and bilateral relations with China".
Other Five Eyes members - including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada - also had their relevant Chinese embassies issue statements condemning the joint statement from yesterday.
Australia's Chinese Embassy's statement was shorter but strongly worded compared with New Zealand's, with a request for Australia to "reflect on itself" and labeling its inference as violent.
"In recent years, the Australia side has gone all out to hype up its opposition to so-called 'foreign interference', while in the meantime, constantly finding various excuses to violently interfere in China's internal affairs which fully reveals its hypocritical nature of 'double standards'."