China’s Foreign Ministry has sharply condemned a resolution passed by the European Parliament that addresses the diminishing freedom of speech in Hong Kong. This development comes as Beijing is attempting to strengthen economic ties with the European Union.

The European Parliament passed the resolution with a large majority on Thursday, pointing to the decline in freedoms in Hong Kong following Beijing’s implementation of a broad national security law in 2020. The resolution calls for the release of activist publisher Jimmy Lai, who has been detained under the security law, as well as other pro-democracy activists. It also urges the Hong Kong government to drop all charges against them. Additionally, the resolution reiterated its appeal for the EU to impose targeted sanctions on officials involved in “the ongoing human rights crackdown in the city,” including Hong Kong leader John Lee.

In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s office in Hong Kong released a statement late Thursday, accusing the European Parliament of using Hong Kong as a tool to obstruct China’s progress. The statement claimed that such efforts would be “doomed to failure” and accused the EU Parliament of meddling in China’s internal affairs and breaching international law.