China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong ordered the British government to stop publishing its “so-called half-yearly report on Hong Kong,” according to state media on Friday.

The report “grossly interfered with Hong Kong issues and China’s internal affairs, and significantly stomped on international law,” according to a ministry branch spokesperson.

Britain criticised what it said was the systematic erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong by the Chinese government and a crackdown on free speech by authorities, in its latest report on the former British colony, announced in a written statement to parliament on Thursday. The reports are issued every six months.

In a separate statement, the Hong Kong government said late on Thursday that it refuted the “slandering remarks and ill-intentioned political attacks” made in Britain’s report.

“The Hong Kong special administrative region is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China,” the statement said, adding that the government urged Britain to “respect the basic norms governing international relations and stop interfering” in the city’s affairs.