The Chinese central government's liaison office in Hong Kong on Thursday strongly condemned the passing of the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 by U.S. congressional committees.
"We strongly condemn and resolutely oppose the approval of the bill by the U.S. congressional committees. Such blatant intervention in China's internal affairs loses ground and is doomed to fail," the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said in a statement.
Some U.S. politicians have openly intervened in Hong Kong affairs under the false pretense of "freedom and justice", and used it as a means to pressure China. In doing so, they ignored the Hong Kong people's call for restoring peace and stability, breached the basic norms of international relations and exposed their ulterior political agenda, the statement added.
The violence by radical protesters has posed grave threat to the public security and stability in Hong Kong and even showed some signs of terrorism. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong are calling for the end of violence and restoration of peace and order, according to the statement.
The return of stability and prosperity is also in the best interest of other countries in the world, including the United States, it added.
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved the bill, which will head to a floor vote in each chamber on a later date.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang also condemned the U.S. congressional committees's approval of the bill.
"The approval of the act by U.S. congressional committees can only embolden radicals and violent activists to further destabilize Hong Kong, which will jeopardize the interests of both China and the United States," Geng said.
Since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland in 1997, principles including "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy have been earnestly carried out, and Hong Kong residents' rights and freedom have been fully guaranteed, Geng said.
He warned that no one should underestimate China's determination to safeguard its national sovereignty, safety and development interests, implement the "one country, two systems" principle and safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.
