China will not back down when it comes to safeguarding sovereign integrity and development opportunities, although it wishes to pursue a stable Sino-US relationship, Beijing’s top diplomat in Hong Kong has told lawmakers at an unprecedented closed-door meeting.

Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the foreign ministry’s arm in the city, on Thursday also accused the United States of attacking China’s economy and adopting a “zero-sum” approach to dealing with diplomatic relations, according to lawmakers who attended Thursday’s meeting.

Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen initiated the one-hour seminar – an event which marked the first time Beijing’s top diplomat in Hong Kong had formally addressed lawmakers.