Instead, Hong Kong’s Finance Minister Paul Chan will attend as Hong Kong’s representative on Lee’s behalf.
In July, China has demanded The US is inviting Lee to the APEC meeting following a report by The Washington Post that Lee, who has been under US sanctions for political repression in Hong Kong, will not be invited.
Lee had appealed to the US to act on the convention and extend invitations to all member economies, including Hong Kong.
He was sanctioned in 2020 along with 10 Hong Kong officials, including previous chief executive Carrie Lam, for undermining the city’s autonomy. Lee was previously Hong Kong’s defense minister and oversaw a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement following the 2019 anti-government protests.
The US and other governments have accused Beijing of breaking promises of autonomy and Western-style civil rights since the former British colony. Returned to China In 1997.
„Hong Kong, China will continue to participate in APEC affairs with a view to contributing to regional economic cooperation by leveraging our unique advantages under 'One Country, Two Systems’ and our status as an international trade and financial hub,” the government statement read.
Hong Kong’s statement comes days after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and White House Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, and both sides agreed to a bilateral meeting between the Chinese and US presidents. On the sidelines of the APEC summit.
However, China has warned that the road to bilateral relations will not be „smooth sailing” and that the two sides must overcome obstacles and obstacles and work together to achieve results.