HK rejects British ‘interference’ report

The government of Hong Kong said that “foreign governments should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of the HKSAR” in response to a recent report by the British government.

Since the 1997 handover, Hong Kong has been exercising “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law, and the “one country, two systems” principle has been fully and successfully implemented, a spokesperson for the SAR government said while responding to the Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong (July to December 2018) issued by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Despite reports to the contrary, the local government insisted that human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to vote and to stand for election are fully protected by the Basic Law and other legislation.

“The HKSAR government attaches great importance to them and is determined to safeguard them,” said the spokesperson.

However, any suggestion of “Hong Kong independence” is a blatant violation of the Basic Law and a direct affront to the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, the spokesman said, adding that the city’s mini-constitution clearly stipulates that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China.

For other issues mentioned in the report, including the prohibition of the operation of the Hong Kong National Party, a visa application case and the co-location arrangement at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Hong Kong government insisted it has been handling affairs strictly in accordance with the “one country, two systems” principle, the Basic Law and the laws of Hong Kong. DB/Xinhua