China urges Australia to respect HK's rule of law: spokeswoman

China urges Australia to respect its sovereignty and the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.

Mao made the remarks in response to a media query concerning reports that Australia is sheltering two criminals engaged in anti-China riots in Hong Kong.

"The government of Hong Kong SAR has issued a solemn statement, strongly opposing any country harboring criminals in any form. We urge relevant countries to respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any form. Regarding China-Australia relations, our position is consistent. We hope that Australia will work with China towards the same direction, follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the principles of treating each other equally, agreeing to differ, and mutually beneficial cooperation to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations," Mao said.

The United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday.

Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, he said on social media.

On Friday, Trump said at a White House event that he "may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland," because the U.S. need Greenland "for national security."

Greenland has a self-governing government within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over its defense and foreign policies. The United States maintains a military base on the island. Since returning to the White House in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to "obtain" Greenland by any mean.