This photo dated Oct 28, 2014 shows the Central Government Offices at Tamar, Hong Kong. (PHOTO/HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday strongly condemned a US government advisory panel report on the National Security Law and the SAR’s business environment and electoral reforms.

In a statement issued on Thursday morning, the HKSAR government said it strongly opposed the report released by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Wednesday and refuted its unfounded allegations.

The Hong kong Special Adminsitrative Region govt said it strongly opposed the report released by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Wednesday and refuted its unfounded allegations    

“The HKSAR government once again urges the United States to respect the international law and basic norms governing international relations,” a government spokesman was quoted as saying in the statement.

“Any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of China through Hong Kong will not succeed and we will continue to discharge our responsibility of safeguarding the national security resolutely."

The spokesman pointed out that after the implementation of the NSL, “chaos has been stopped and stability restored in Hong Kong” as the law ensures the faithful implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy.

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“Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy remains protected and the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people under the Basic Law are well-protected,” he said.

The spokesman said the NSL reinforced Hong Kong's position as an international financial center and is conducive “to attracting more global investors to do business and invest in Hong Kong”.

“Since the implementation of the NSL, our financial market has remained steady. The banking sector is as robust as ever, financial services remain promising and development opportunities, both in Hong Kong and on the mainland, continue to open up,” he added.

The spokesman said Hong Kong was ranked the world's third-largest recipient of foreign direct investment in the World Investment Report 2021 published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Despite the “deplorable attempt of the US government to put pressure on multinational enterprises operating in Hong Kong by issuing a 'business advisory' in July 2021”, the American Chamber of Commerce remarked that Hong Kong remained a critical and vibrant facilitator of trade and financial flows between China and the rest of the world, the spokesman said.

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It noted that the NSL did not impact commercial law; Hong Kong had excellent infrastructure and free flow of information and was still an ideal place for international companies to do business; and that it would definitely not advise companies to withdraw from the Hong Kong market, the spokesman said.

“These comments are the best testimony to the merits of Hong Kong as a business place," he added.

The spokesman said the government strongly opposed the USCC's recommendation concerning reporting on Hong Kong's compliance with World Trade Organization rules.

In the latest WTO Trade Policy Review conducted in 2018, Hong Kong was commended for its free and open trade policies and its unwavering support for the rules-based multilateral trading system, he said.

“In contrast, the world bears witness to the continuous attempts of the US to unilaterally and irresponsibly undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system," he added.

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The spokesman also said that the improvement in the HKSAR’s electoral system is both “timely and necessary” and that the report’s allegation against the city’s national security education was false.

“National education is all along an important part of our secondary and primary school curriculum for nurturing our students to become quality citizens who are socially responsible and equipped with a sense of national identity, love for Hong Kong and international perspectives,” he said.

"We deeply regret that there exist double standards, biased quotes and groundless comments due to the lack of understanding of and respect for Hong Kong's implementation of national education," he added.

The government also took exception to the report's “unreasonable questions” regarding prosecutorial decisions and judicial independence in the HKSAR.

“Prosecutions would only be commenced if there is sufficient admissible evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction. No one should interfere with independent prosecutorial decisions which are carried out strictly in accordance with the law," the spokesman said.

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