China expressed displeasure over Biden's statement on Apple Daily, said- America should not interfere in 'internal matters'

China's Foreign Ministry expressed displeasure over US President Joe Biden's statement on the closure of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, saying the US should stop interfering in the country's internal affairs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday that Hong Kong comes under China's internal affairs. As NHK World reports, he urged Washington to respect the facts and stop obstructing law enforcement in the Special Administrative Region.

Zhao said the US action was interfering in China's internal affairs and said the arrests of senior members of the newspaper were alleged to have violated Hong Kong's national security law.

He said the law aims to crack down on a handful of people who are seriously harming national security and protect the rights and liberties of a large number of people in Hong Kong, including freedom of the press.

As NHK World reports, Zhao also said that facts were being distorted to investigate the media outlet and its senior executives' actions on press freedom. Let us tell that when the Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily decided to close its office after 26 years due to government action, US President Joe Biden reacted on Thursday, calling it a campaign for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world. Called it a sad day.

In a statement on behalf of the White House, the US president said that through arrests, threats and coercion, through a stringent national security law punishing free speech, Beijing has tried to suppress free media and silence dissenting views. Emphasis is placed on using their power.

He further called on China to stop targeting the free press and release detained journalists and media officials, saying the act of journalism is not a crime. He said, 'The people of Hong Kong have the right to freedom of the press. Instead, Beijing is denying basic freedoms and attacking Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic institutions and processes, which are not in line with its international obligations.

Let us tell you that the last publication of Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily took place on Thursday. More than one million copies of the final edition of the newspaper were printed. Which was many times more than other days. Long lines were seen at the stalls to get the final edition of the newspaper. The entire staff got emotional after the final edition of the newspaper was published. Everyone said goodbye to each other with heavy hearts.

The founder of the 26-year-old Apple Daily newspaper, Jimmy Lai, is in jail. In this sequence, five editors, including the Chief Editor and CEO of Apple Daily, were arrested a few days ago. The press was raided and documents and property were confiscated. The newspaper had been under the eyes of China and the Chinese-backed Hong Kong government for a long time. Meanwhile, the media have been warned by the governments of China and Hong Kong and warned to stay within the ambit of the law.