Beijing ‘strongly opposes’ the European Union making irresponsible accusations about Hong Kong affairs, and ‘warns foreign governments not to interfere in the city’s affairs’. Hua Chunying, from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made these remarks at a press conference a day after the European Union released a highly critical annual report on Hong Kong. The report described the case of five booksellers who were abducted last year and later surfaced on the mainland as ‘the most serious challenge’ to the governing principle since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty, and warned it could undermine Hong Kong’s standing as an international business centre. Christians in China continue to face persecution because the Party wants to control all activities deemed to be a threat to the officially atheist government. See