China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday rebuked Britain's top diplomat David Cameron for making "hypocritical" remarks about the Hong Kong national security law that it said exposed the UK's recourse to "double standards."

The repudiation came after Cameron's recent meeting with the son of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of Hong Kong riots, following which the UK Foreign Office issued a statement saying it "opposes" the national security law.

Lai is a known anti-China disruptor, acting as the mastermind behind the unrest in Hong Kong and openly colluding with external forces to undermine national security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Mao said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took action to hold him accountable in accordance with the law. This is beyond reproach, she added.

Britain, having recently enacted its own national security law, exposed its penchant to apply "double standards" and showed the UK's hypocrisy and hidden agenda, she said.

Over the past three years of implementing the national security law, more than 80 percent of Hong Kong residents believe that the law has made the region safer, and faced with the momentum of Hong Kong transitioning from disorder to stability and then to prosperity, the actions taken by Britain only served to amuse, Mao said.

She urged the UK to earnestly respect the facts and the rule of law, and stop meddling in Hong Kong's affairs, which are China's internal affairs.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks at a press conference in Beijing, December 11, 2023. /CFP)