HKSAR gov't strongly objects to European Parliament's unfounded remarks about Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Friday strongly objected to the unfounded remarks about Hong Kong in the annual report 2021 on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy released by the European Parliament.

"Such repeated attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our country and to misrepresent the principle of 'one country, two systems' and its implementation in the HKSAR are futile and disgusting," a spokesman for the HKSAR government said, adding that the HKSAR government will continue to firmly oppose and guard against foreign forces interfering in the internal affairs of Hong Kong.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR has been implementing the principle of "one country, two systems," under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law. The central government has time and again made it clear that it will unswervingly implement the policy of "one country, two systems," which is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's long term prosperity and stability, the spokesman said.

Since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong on June 30, 2020, stability has been restored in Hong Kong society. People's lives and property are protected, and they can once again enjoy their legitimate rights and freedoms, which the law clearly stipulates shall be protected under the HKSAR Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong in accordance with the law, the spokesman said.

The remark in the report referring to the national security law in Hong Kong as a "crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy and freedoms" could hardly be substantiated as illustrated by survey after survey, which confirmed public support for the law and much lessened anxiety among the international business community based in Hong Kong, the spokesman said.

The spokesman stressed that all law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies are based on evidence, strictly according to the law and have nothing to do with the occupation, background or political stance of the individuals concerned. Also, all prosecutorial decisions made by the Department of Justice are based on evidence, applicable laws and the Prosecution Code, and are free from any interference.