China urged the United States to correctly look at the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and stop using it as an excuse to interfere in China's internal affairs, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday.

Hua made the remark after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called HSBC a "cautionary tale" and warned of businesses' overreliance on China after the bank last week published a photo of its Asia-Pacific CEO Peter Wong signing a petition backing the legislation.

"That show of fealty seems to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing, which continues to use the bank's business in China as political leverage against London," Pompeo said in a statement.

Hua, speaking at a regular news conference in Beijing, said: "Hong Kong affairs are purely China's domestic affairs, which allow no foreign interference. We urge the US side to stop sowing discord and stoking fires."

She added that Washington should do things that are conducive to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, instead of the opposite.

Hua stressed that the measures to improve the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR are aimed at ensuring lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong.