The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday demanded that the United Kingdom immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters after UK officials met with four fugitives from the city.

In a statement, the HKSAR government expressed its strong disapproval and condemnation after British Foreign Minister David Lammy and Parliamentary Undersecretary of State Catherine West met with the fugitives who are suspected to have committed offenses endangering national security.

The UK-based fugitives are Chung Kim-wah, Tony Chung Hon-lam, Carmen Lau Ka-man, and Chloe Cheung Hei-ching. The four all face a charge of incitement to secession and a charge of collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. They were wanted by police, with a bounty of HK$1 million ($128,400).

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"Endangering national security is a very serious crime. No country will watch with folded arms the acts and activities that endanger national security,” an HKSAR government spokesman was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The HKSAR government strongly demands the UK government to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters which are purely China's internal affairs," he added.

The spokesman said the fugitives are suspected of continuing to commit offenses under the National Security Law for Hong Kong and so the police secured court-issued arrest warrants against them and put them on the wanted list.

“The UK government has ignored the malicious acts of those wanted persons, which showcases the hypocrisy with double standards," the spokesman said.

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"Any individuals who endanger national security should not believe that being overseas will allow them to evade criminal responsibility and remain beyond the reach of justice,” he added.

The spokesman said the HKSAR government will exhaust all means to pursue and combat criminals absconding overseas and endangering national security.

“Any attempt by foreign countries or external forces to undermine Hong Kong's situation will only expose their own weakness and faulty arguments and be doomed to fail,” he added.