The Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the HKSAR government have expressed strong opposition to the granting of so-called “asylum” to two fugitives who had endangered national security.

They made the remarks on Monday after the two fugitives, Ted Hui Chi-fung and Tony Chung Hon-lam, had been recently granted “asylum” in Australia and the UK, respectively. They had committed serious offenses endangering national security in 2019 and continued to carry out activities with the same purpose after absconding overseas.

In a statement released on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the HKSAR government said Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki summoned Consul-General of Australia in Hong Kong Gareth Williams and British Consul General in Hong Kong Brian Davidson respectively Monday afternoon.

During the meeting, Chan solemnly pointed out that the government opposed any country harboring offenders in any form and was strongly dissatisfied with any conduct that harbored criminals under any pretext.

Reiterating that such harboring allowed certain individuals or organizations to be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts, he stressed that it was no different from granting a special privilege to break the law.

“What Australia and the UK have done in harboring these offenders totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law and is absolutely not conducive to the relationship between the HKSAR and the two governments,” the chief secretary for administration said.

ALSO READ: HKSAR govt deplores harboring of criminals by countries

Those absconders were wanted as they continue to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security, Chan said, adding that it was necessary for the Hong Kong Police Force to take lawful measures, including applying to the court for arrest warrants.

Chan told the two countries' consuls-general that any arrest and prosecution were based on facts and evidence, and was directed against criminal acts and had nothing to do with the political stance or background of the defendants.

The Hong Kong SAR National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance also clearly stipulate that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR, he pointed out.

“Regarding organizations and individuals endangering national security, the HKSAR government will not condone their criminal acts, and will not give up pursuing them, including adopting all practical measures to bring those fugitives endangering national security who have absconded from Hong Kong to justice,” Chan said.

In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the commissioner's office said the two fugitives were outright criminals who seriously violated the HKSAR national security law.

These absconders will eventually be brought to justice, and any act that glorifies, harbors, supports or encourages anti-China elements will be futile, said the spokesperson.

READ MORE: ‘Untrue and biased’ G7 criticism of HK bounties on fugitives slammed

Both spokespeople urged relevant foreign governments to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs by any means.

With Xinhua inputs