Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam criticized the United States on Friday for "repeatedly interfering" with the internal affairs of China and Hong Kong, and appealed for mutual respect and a normal relationship irrespective of who becomes the next president.
The chief executive made the remarks at the end of her visit to Beijing, during which she reportedly received approval from Vice Premier Han Zheng for her administration's handling of anti-government protests in the territory.
Lam called the alleged interference "totally unreasonable" and decried the suspension of some bilateral agreements and U.S. sanctions imposed on her and other officials following the enactment in June of a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong.
"I hope that they will come back to normalcy and accept that the relationship has to be built on mutual respect and cooperation."
The controversial law was imposed on the former British colony after a series of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests last year. It outlaws acts of separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with external forces.
The U.S. administration under President Donald Trump moved to suspend some agreements with Hong Kong that had treated it differently from the mainland, among other responses.
Hong Kong had been promised it could retain its way of life, rights and freedoms for 50 years following its return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Also during his meeting with Lam, Han pledged Beijing's continued support for Hong Kong's prosperity and improving social well-being, according to official Xinhua News Agency.
Lam had described her just-concluded visit to Beijing from Tuesday as meant to seek policies in support of the Hong Kong economy hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday, Lam declined to say whether any economic initiative had been reached between the territory and the central government. She said instead that an announcement will be made in her policy address later this month, including whether a 14-day quarantine order for cross-border travelers would be lifted.
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