Beijing defends barring Human Rights Watch chief from entering Hong Kong

Beijing on Monday defended barring the head of Human Rights Watch from entering Hong Kong, saying non-governmental organizations were to blame for political unrest in China's Special Administrative Region and should "pay the proper price".

"Allowing or not allowing someone's entry is China's sovereign right," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing, a day after Human Rights Watch Chief Kenneth Roth said he was denied entry into Hong Kong.

Beijing last month announced sanctions on American NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, as countermeasures for the passage of a US bill backing Hong Kong's violent anti-government movement.