HONG KONG – The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Thursday urged some anti-China politicians to stop using press freedom as a pretext to meddle with Hong Kong affairs.
China is rock-firm in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and in fully and faithfully implementing "one country, two systems"
The spokesperson for the commissioner's office said that a very few politicians in the United States and some other Western countries continued to attack the national security law in Hong Kong and vilify the Central and the HKSAR governments on the pretext of press freedom.
The office strongly disapproved of and firmly opposed the groundless accusations made by these politicians, who even called for joint sanctions in a flagrant breach of international law and basic norms governing international relations and also in a typical practice of power politics and hegemony, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that the lawful rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, including freedoms of speech and the press, are upheld in the HKSAR Basic Law and the national security law in Hong Kong. Meantime, though, it is both a legal principle and an international norm that there is no press freedom above the law anywhere in the world, and that no individual or organization shall ever endanger national security or undermine social stability on the pretext of press freedom.
The spokesperson said that a very few politicians in the United States and some other Western countries, however, have persistently made desperate attempts to condone and justify relevant suspects, and have slung mud at the Central and the HKSAR governments.
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But it has only revealed once again their political agenda to destabilize Hong Kong and sow trouble in China at large. Any attempt to play Hong Kong as a pawn and sabotage Hong Kong's prosperity and stability to curb China's development as a whole is wishful thinking that is doomed to fail, the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson emphasized that the authority of the national security law in Hong Kong is not to be challenged. China is rock-firm in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and in fully and faithfully implementing "one country, two systems."
With the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and the improvement of the HKSAR's electoral system, Hong Kong has started a new chapter of setting things right and ensuring good governance. Whatever external forces may say or do, they can in no way hold back the historical trend towards enduring success of "one country, two systems" and greater prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.
"We urge the anti-China politicians in the United States and some other Western countries to face up to the reality, get their place right, abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs at large under whatever excuse. Otherwise, they would only shoot themselves in the foot," the spokesperson said.