The Hong Kong government on Friday strongly reprimanded and resolutely refuted what it termed “untruthful remarks, slanders and smears” against various aspects of the special administrative region in a six-monthly report released by the United Kingdom.

The “misleading and irresponsible remarks” about Hong Kong matters wantonly put politics above the rule of law and attempt to interfere in Hong Kong's law-based governance by despicable political maneuvers, a spokesman for the HKSAR government said in a statement.

“The HKSAR government strongly urges the UK again to discern facts from fallacies, respect the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China's internal affairs,” reads the statement.

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An inalienable part of China, the HKSAR, as a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the principle of 'one country, two systems', comes directly under the jurisdiction of the central government, the spokesman said.

Pointing out that the core essence of the Sino-British Joint Declaration is about China's resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, the spokesman said, “It did not authorize the UK to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs after its return to the motherland.”

The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong after its return to the motherland, added the spokesman.