China's Hong Kong suspends bilateral agreement with US: Spokesperson

BEIJING -- China has decided that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will suspend an agreement with the United States on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

The decision was made in response to the US side's erroneous move of suspending or terminating three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong, according to spokesman Zhao Lijian.

The HKSAR government has issued a statement strongly opposing and condemning the US government's unilateral decision, Zhao said.

Zhao reiterated that Hong Kong affairs are entirely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference.

"China urges the US side to immediately correct its wrong decision, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's other internal affairs, and not go further and further down the wrong path," he said.