By Aarti Tikoo Singh

New Delhi/Kathmandu, June 3 (IANS): Nepal has endorsed China's new national security law for Hong Kong even as the Western block led by the US have jointly called Beijing's move a direct violation of international treaties.

In response to media queries, the Nepalese government on Wednesday backed the Chinese law that aims to suppress all dissent in the autonomous Hong Kong.

Official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bharat Raj Paudyal said, "Nepal reiterates its one China policy and considers Hong Kong as an integral part of the People's Republic of China."

Arguing that "maintenance of peace, law and order is a primary responsibility of a nation," he said, "Nepal believes in non-interference in the internal affairs of any country and supports China's efforts to maintain law and order in Hong Kong."

The statement comes days after the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, in an unprecedented move, jointly reprimanded China, stating that its decision to impose a new security law on Hong Kong was in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Incidentally, Nepal also turned offensive against India recently when it issued a new political map which included Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani, the areas which have been part of Indian territory.

Last month, after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new road connecting the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand with Kailash Mansarovar route in China, Nepal protested and threatened to put up a security post in the area.