China has hit back at Australia's offer of a five-year visa extension to Hongkongers already in the country.

Australian offer follows measures from the U.K.

Australia's offer of visa extension would potentially allow Hong Kong residents to receive permanent residency as well.

The offer, announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday, July 9, followed similar moves by the United Kingdom, which said it would offer around three million Hong Kong residents a path to British citizenship.

The retaliatory measures came after Beijing passed a national security law on Hong Kong that outlaws secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference.

China accuses Australia of "hypocrisy"

In an official statement released on the same day by the Chinese Embassy's spokesperson, China said it "strongly deplores and opposes the groundless accusations and measures" by Australia with regard to Hong Kong.

The spokesperson added that such policy is "a serious violation of international law", and is also "a gross interference in China's internal affairs".

The statement reiterated that the newly-passed national security law in Hong Kong will strengthen the city's legal framework and help develop long-term stability.

The spokesperson further accused Australia of "hypocrisy and double standard" for interfering in China's internal affairs despite saying themselves that they "oppose foreign interference".

The statement ended with a warning to Australia that should it not stop "meddling in Hong Kong affairs", it will "lead to nothing but lifting a rock only to hit its own feet".

China debunks false accusations

The Chinese Embassy in Australia has also taken to Facebook to slam "people from the U.S. and other Western countries" for making "groundless accusations" about China's human rights situation, including the issues of Hong Kong, Covid-19 and Xinjiang.

China blasts Canada and U.K. too

China also slammed Canada and the U.K. for their responses to the passing of the national security law on Hong Kong.

China's ambassador to the U.K. Liu Xiaoming said on Monday, July 6, that the U.K. government "keeps making irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong affairs", and that London's offer to Hong Kong residents constitutes "gross interference in China's internal affairs", CNBC reported.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa released a statement on the same day, criticising Canada for "unwarranted comments" on Hong Kong, and urging it to "correct its mistakes".

It said the "erroneous measures" by these western countries are "doomed to fail like kicking against the pricks".

The U.K. sees the new law as a "clear and serious" violation of the agreement between London and Beijing when the former handed Hong Kong back to China.

Canada sees it as a "grave concern", with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and restricting the export of sensitive goods to the city, such as military goods.

Ordinary people not likely to be affected

An article that extends the law to foreigners who are not Hong Kong or China residents has been widely criticised.

Authorities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the U.K. have warned travelers and their citizens residing in Hong Kong to be cautious because of the new law, CNN Travel reported.

However, experts such as Hong Kong-based lawyer Antony Dapiran told CNN Travel that "ordinary people" with no political involvement or public profile would not be impacted.

Top image by Fred Dufour/AFP & Mark GrahamAFP via Getty Images