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 government on Thursday strong disapproved of and firmly rejected the so-called resolution on Hong Kong issued by the United States Senate.
The HKSAR government said in a statement that the so-called resolution contains unfounded remarks and smears against the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the situation in the HKSAR covering rights and freedoms and the rule of law.
“The HKSAR government strongly urges the US politicians to immediately stop acting against the international law and basic norms of international relations and interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large," an HKSAR government spokesman was quoted as saying in the statement.
The spokesman said the HKSAR government steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents and the NSL clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the SAR
“Any person's attempt to undermine the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong by slandering the situation in the city will only expose his own weakness and faulty arguments and be doomed to fail,” he added.
The spokesman said the remarks in the so-called resolution about the implementation of the NSL in the HKSAR amount to fact twisting and political smearing.
"Since the implementation of the NSL in June 2020, the US politicians have been repeatedly exploiting different incidents and occasions, as well as creating excuses, to slander the NSL and attack the HKSAR in its dutiful, faithful and lawful implementation of the NSL,” he said.
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“They neglect the fact that the implementation of the NSL has enabled the livelihood and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to resume as normal and the business environment to be restored,” he added.
The spokesman pointed out that Hong Kong suffered from the widespread 'black-clad violence' in 2019.
“The US politicians did not say a word about those acts, which disregarded the law, breached peace and challenged the HKSAR's authority, with severe damage caused to Hong Kong's society, economy and business environment,” he said.
“Through the so-called resolution, the US politicians once again performed a despicable manoeuvre with politics prevailing over the law, exposing their hypocrisy with double standards. Their vile conspiracy of 'using Hong Kong to contain China' is doomed to fail," he added.
The spokesman said the US politicians suggested in the so-called resolution that people, institutions and organizations with certain backgrounds should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts and activities.
“This is tantamount to granting privileges to them to break the law, and is totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law,” he said.
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“Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers held accountable.”
The spokesman said all prosecution decisions are based on an objective analysis of all admissible evidence and applicable laws while the Judiciary exercises judicial power independently, with those facing criminal charges having the right to a fair trial.
"Any attempt by any country, organization, or individual to interfere with the judicial proceedings in Hong Kong by means of political power, in order to procure a defendant's evasion of the criminal justice process, is a blatant act undermining the rule of law of Hong Kong,” he said.
The spokesman said the HKSAR government steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents and the NSL clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the SAR.
"Since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the HKSAR Government has been fully, faithfully and resolutely implementing the principles of 'one country, two systems', 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and a high degree of autonomy in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law to ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong,” he said.
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“Hong Kong has also embarked on a new journey of advancement from stability to prosperity. Under the 'one country, two systems' principle, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantage of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world.”
With the motherland's strong support, and the wide room for development brought about by national strategies including the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development and the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong embraces boundless business opportunities, the spokesman added.