The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday strongly deplored and opposed the so-called report published by Britain's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Regarding the biased statements in the report related to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a HKSAR government spokesman said that since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR has been implementing the "one country, two systems" principle, "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law of the HKSAR.
It is the legitimate right and duty of every state to safeguard its national security. As national security falls squarely under the purview of the central authorities and after some 23 years of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR has yet to fulfill its constitutional obligations to enact local legislation to safeguard national security. The enactment of the national security law is thus absolutely rational, reasonable, constitutional and lawful, the spokesman said.
"Since the enactment of the national security law, some politicians from the UK have made it an issue, neglecting the fact that the UK has also put in place relevant legislation and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding its national security and sovereignty ... They ignore the serious unlawful acts of rioters in Hong Kong and even, under the pretext of the police's operations last year, indicated in a high-profile manner that certain measures or acts targeting Hong Kong would be adopted. The HKSAR government strongly objects to such and urges other countries to stop all political manipulation and interference."
The spokesman stressed that the international community should take an objective view on the events that happened in Hong Kong in the past year.
"Between June last year and early this year, Hong Kong was haunted by the ever-escalating violence. The public transport system was extensively damaged and shops maliciously attacked. An innocent man was killed by rioters, another seriously burnt and hundreds of frontline police officers injured. Cases involving explosives and firearms were uncovered every now and then, seriously endangering public safety."
Faced with these serious unlawful acts, the Hong Kong police have the statutory duty to take lawful measures to maintain public order and public safety. The police have a set of stringent guidelines on the use of force that are consistent with the international human rights norms and standards, the spokesman said.
The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under "one country, two systems" and comes directly under the Central People's Government. Matters relating to the HKSAR remain China's internal affair. No other state has the right to intervene under any pretext, the spokesman added.
