A man passes by the East Wing Forecourt (the Forecourt) of the Central Government Offices (CGO), Tamar, Hong Kong, on Dec 28, 2017.  (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government condemned on Thursday the so-called "continuation of the national emergency with respect to Hong Kong” and the extension of relevant Hong Kong-related sanctions announced by the White House a day earlier.

In a statement, a spokesman for the government said the latest move by the US is a continuation of its “blatant interference in the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China (PRC).”

“For well over a year, the US has been adopting a totally unjustified stance with regard to actions taken by the HKSAR government in enforcing the National Security Law and making outrageous statements that blatantly disregarded the rule of law,” the spokesman said.

For well over a year, the US has been adopting a totally unjustified stance with regard to actions taken by the HKSAR government in enforcing the National Security Law and making outrageous statements that blatantly disregarded the rule of law.

Spokesman, HKSAR government

The US, by doing so, is clearly breaching international law and the basic norms underpinning international relations, the spokesman added.

The unilateral measures under then-US president Donald Trump’s executive order issued in July 2020 targeting the PRC and the HKSAR, which include the so-called sanctions against officials of the Central People's Government and the HKSAR government, are "barbaric acts reflecting the self-proclaimed US supremacy," the spokesman said.

Such actions only harmed the relations and common interests between the PRC and the US, as well as that of the HKSAR and the US, according to the statement.

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The spokesman expressed regret that the new US administration has chosen to continue this wrongful path. "We urge the US to immediately stop interfering in the internal affairs of the PRC and the HKSAR," said the spokesman.

The office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the HKSAR expressed a similar sentiment in a separate statement.

A spokesperson for the office said the latest move by the US constituted another proof of the US' unrepentant interference.

The US side, in an attempt to disrupt Hong Kong and suppress China, deliberately distorts "one country, two systems," wantonly interferes in Hong Kong affairs, emboldens anti-China and destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, and plays up Hong Kong-related issues on various international occasions, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also condemned the US for talking black into white. 

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“It (the US) has claimed that actions taken by the Chinese side in Hong Kong pose a threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and arbitrarily passed Hong Kong-related sanctions through legislation and executive order. This kind of unscrupulous gangster logic and self-centered hegemonic act has long been notorious and despised by people around the world,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson urged the US side to reflect on itself, change course, and observe international law and the basic norms governing international relations.