This July 1, 2020 photo shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong after a flag-raising ceremony held by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
HONG KONG- Senior officials of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday hit back at the so called "business advisory" issued by the US government and the false allegations by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the national security law in the HKSAR.
Hong Kong remains an open and free economy, underpinned by the rule of law and a robust regulatory regime, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, noting that Hong Kong's status as an international financial center has not changed and business confidence has not been shaken.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng yuet-ngor urged the United States to view Hong Kong matters in an honest and fair manner, instead of intimidating businesses and individuals with the "business advisory"
“We are alarmed by the sweeping and totally unsubstantiated remarks contained in Secretary Blinken's statement which represent blatant interventions into the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China of which the HKSAR is an inalienable part,” Lam said in a statement.
“We cannot allow such misguided remarks to go unchallenged,” she added.
Lam noted that over 90 countries expressed support for China in its efforts in restoring stability in the HKSAR during the recent session of the United Nation Human Rights Council.
“These countries clearly stood by the principle of non-intervention under international law as well as the principle of sovereign equality which expressly sets out that the territorial integrity and political independence of the state are inviolable,” she said.
Lam urged the United States to view Hong Kong matters in an honest and fair manner, instead of intimidating businesses and individuals with the "business advisory."
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Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of the HKSAR government, said the financial data clearly showed that investor confidence in Hong Kong has not wavered even a bit in the past year.
The amount of IPO funds raised in Hong Kong has exceeded HK$500 billion (about US$64 billion) in the past year, representing an increase of more than 50 percent year on year. The average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks has also reached HK$160 billion , nearly 70 percent higher than that before the law took effect. The linked exchange rate system has also worked well. The Hong Kong dollar market recorded a net capital inflow last year.
Officials also strongly condemned the so-called sanctions imposed on seven deputy directors of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.
Chan said the so-called "sanctions" unilaterally imposed by foreign governments do not conform to international laws and have no legal effect in Hong Kong.
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