The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday urged the U.S. consulate general in Hong Kong to stop smearing the national security law in Hong Kong.
A spokesperson of the commissioner's office expressed strong opposition to a statement by the U.S. consulate general.
In its statement, the U.S. consulate called the law "draconian" and said it was "never about security."
The United States should respect the legitimate right of Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots to safeguard national security and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs, on the pretext of freedom of speech, the spokesperson said.
National security legislation is an international legal practice and the national security law in Hong Kong will ensure the enduring success of "One Country, Two Systems" based on the rule of law and preserve the long-term stability of Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.
The United States has a sophisticated system of national security laws applied to even its overseas territories and frequently abuses national security to infringe upon other countries' lawful rights and interests, the spokesperson said, noting that the United States' accusing of the national security law in Hong Kong is nothing short of double standards, ideological bias and hegemonic thinking.
Since the law took effect, black violence with a "burn with us" mentality has been on the decline and various sectors in Hong Kong have shifted focus to fighting the epidemic and reviving the economy, the spokesperson said.
However, the U.S. side, through the statement, has exposed its real intention of backing anti-China troublemakers and messing up Hong Kong.
Fully respecting the differences between the "Two Systems" while adhering to the "One Country" principle, the law has incorporated a number of innovative arrangements to ensure the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong and has therefore reinforced and improved "One Country, Two Systems," the spokesperson said.
By contrast, the United States has revoked Hong Kong's special status while claiming to support for Hong Kong's uniqueness and high degree of autonomy, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that Hong Kong's success is underpinned by the strong support from the Chinese mainland and the united efforts by Hong Kong people and any external threat or coercion is futile and doomed to fail.
The spokesperson emphasized that China has always provided necessary assistance to and support for foreign consular institutions in Hong Kong in performing their duties pursuant to law.
At the same time, foreign consular institutions should also respect and abide by Hong Kong laws, including the national security law, and international law and basic norms governing international relations, and refrain from any behavior or activity of meddling with Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole, jeopardizing China's national security, or undermining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said.
The Hong Kong SAR government on Friday also strongly deplored and opposed the statement issued by the U.S. consulate general in Hong Kong, saying it incorrectly and inappropriately commented that the national security law in HKSAR would affect the freedom of speech of Hong Kong residents.
"The law does not affect the legitimate rights of Hong Kong residents to exercise freedom of speech," said a government spokesman.
"What the national security law regulates is the use of Hong Kong by foreign countries or external elements to carry out activities of secession, subversion, infiltration and sabotage, which is obviously different from normal exchange activities. Given that the law has provided a clear definition of the offence of collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security, the general public will not breach the law inadvertently, and the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by the residents will also not be affected," the spokesman added.
"Nevertheless, we will seriously handle, in accordance with the law, such illegal acts where collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security are genuinely involved," the spokesman said.
(With input from Xinhua)
