China warns foreign media in Hong Kong over fire coverage

China warned foreign media on Saturday not to spread "false information" or "smear" government efforts to deal with the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years.

HONG KONG - China's national security office in Hong Kong warned foreign media on Saturday not to spread "false information" or "smear" government efforts to deal with the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years.

Ahead of a legislative council election on Sunday in the global financial hub, the Office for Safeguarding National Security said it had summoned a number of unspecified foreign media outlets, criticising coverage of the fire that killed at least 159 people at the Wang Fuk Court high-rise residential complex.

"Some foreign media have recently reported on Hong Kong ignoring the facts, spreading false information, distorting and smearing the government's disaster relief and aftermath work, attacking and interfering with the Legislative Council election, provoking social division and opposition," the statement said.

The office said it convened the meeting in line with a national security law Beijing imposed on the former British colony in 2020 after mass pro-democracy protests. The law says the office may "take necessary measures to strengthen the management" of foreign entities, including news agencies.

Saturday's meeting appeared to be the first such gathering of foreign media en masse to face criticism for their coverage of a specific event by the office, which is led by senior Chinese Ministry of State Security officials.