China slams five Western countries for politicizing the delay of the Legislative Council (LegCo) elections in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), saying that it added to the evidence that these countries are interfering in China's internal affairs.

The remarks came after foreign ministers of the intelligence alliance 'Five Eyes,' which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, issued a joint statement on Sunday saying that the recent postponement of the LegCo elections has undermined the democracy of HKSAR. 

At Monday's press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stressed that Chinese embassies in these countries have respectively lodged solemn representations to the five nations, adding that their voices can't represent the international community. 

Zhao said that the LegCo elections are considered as regional elections as HKSAR belongs to China. Thus, no foreign governments or individuals have any rights or reasons to interfere in the elections, which are purely China's internal affairs.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on July 31 that the LegCo election will be postponed due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the region. The elections were scheduled for September 6 and the new date is set for September 5 next year.

The spokesperson said that delaying elections over COVID-19 concerns is a common practice of the international society, citing the example of the UK delaying a regional election earlier. 

And in the case of the LegCo election, the decision was made for protecting lives and health of Hong Kong residents as well as the fairness of the elections.