Hong Kong and Macao: The United States, Britain and a few other countries have ulterior motives in attacking and smearing Hong Kong

Source: Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council

On 11 May, Xinhua News Agency published an article by Hong Kong and Macao entitled "The United States, Britain and a Few Other Countries Have Ulterior Motives for Attacking and Smearing Hong Kong and Reversing Black and White", the full text of which is as follows:

Recently, a handful of countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as some Western institutions and politicians, have used so-called "statements," "reports," "resolutions," and "seminars" one after another to slander and attack the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Hong Kong National Security Regulations, spread rumors and smear Hong Kong's human rights and freedoms and develop the business environment, and even clamored and threatened to impose "sanctions" on Hong Kong SAR officials. The HKSAR Government resolutely refuted his untrue remarks and severely condemned his gross interference, and a number of civic groups staged demonstrations and protests at the consulates of relevant countries in Hong Kong. A few countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as some Western institutions and politicians, cannot deceive the world by reversing black and white on issues and playing "double standards."

- Only allow yourself to "lock" and not allow others to "bolt the door"

The United States, Britain and other countries can be described as "armed to the teeth" in safeguarding national security legislation. The United States has at least 21 important national security laws, and as many as 100 laws are listed in the national security category. In the past 20 years alone, the UK has amended its national security laws at least nine times, and in 2023 passed a new version of the National Security Law, which greatly expands the scope of legal control and increases criminal liability. The G7 and other countries in the European Union have a number of national security legislations with broader types of offences and legislation than the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance, and most crimes provide for extraterritorial effects. In particular, in addition to statutory law, there is also a large number of national security case laws in common law countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and the national security legal system is watertight, and anyone who is careless can fall into their net, including their allies.

It should also be pointed out that the United States, Britain and other countries not only have many crimes in their legislation to safeguard national security, but also impose severe punishments. For example, the maximum penalty for treason in the United States is the death penalty (the maximum penalty under the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance is life imprisonment). Another example is the crime of espionage, the maximum sentence in the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries is life imprisonment, and the maximum sentence in the United States is the death penalty (the maximum sentence stipulated in the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance is 20 years in prison). Recently, Joshua Schulte, a former CIA employee, was sentenced to 400 months in prison for espionage for leaking classified material to WikiLeaks.

Compared with the United States, Britain and other countries, the legislation on safeguarding national security is broad in terms of crimes and ruthless in terms of punishment, the elements of crimes in the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance are clearly defined, the boundary between crimes and non-crimes is clear, and the punishment is lenient and appropriate. In this regard, many commentators have pointed out that those politicians in the United States and the West are well aware, but they just want to pretend to be confused, and their calculations have long been seen through and reprimanded by fair public opinion.

The United States, Britain and other countries put heavy locks on their own doors, but on the other hand, they do not let other people's homes "bolt the door" to prevent theft, so as to facilitate their arbitrary entry and exit and wanton destruction, how domineering and evil!

- A man covered in dirt throws dirty water on others

The United States, Britain and other countries have shouted loudly about human rights and freedom, but in fact they have done everything they can to trample on human rights and undermine freedom. Under the pretext of national security, U.S. authorities have carried out large-scale and indiscriminate cyber attacks and eavesdropping on secrets around the world, from competitors to their own citizens and even leaders of allied countries. In the 20 years from 2001 to 2021, the United States carried out military operations in 85 countries under the guise of the so-called "war on terror", which directly led to the deaths of 929,000 civilians and the displacement of 38 million people. According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there were 128 violations of press freedom across the United States in 2022, including 40 attacks on journalists and 15 arrests or prosecutions. In 2023, at least 12 journalists in the United States have been arrested or facing charges, and several journalists have been criminally convicted for normal news reporting. U.S. politicians have described recent demonstrations by university students in many parts of the United States as "anti-Semitic atrocities," with heavily armed police violently beating and detaining more than 2,000 students and professors, and even using rubber bullets and tear gas. People have also seen that the United States has openly violated the rules of the market economy by forcing foreign companies that it cannot compete with to sell their businesses through domestic legislation, and even directly confiscating the public and private property of other countries. In the UK, the National Security Act 2023, passed in July 2023, empowers cabinet ministers to issue orders restricting the freedom of movement of a person and prohibiting the use of financial services if he reasonably believes that he or she may be engaged in a "threat of foreign power". The Act also allows police officers above a certain rank to directly order restrictions on the detainee's right to consult a lawyer.

In sharp contrast, both the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance regard respect for and protection of human rights as an important legislative principle, and explicitly provide for the protection of rights and freedoms enjoyed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights applicable to the HKSAR, including freedom of speech, press and publication, freedom of association, assembly, procession and demonstration. Hong Kong's law enforcement agencies take law enforcement actions in strict accordance with the law, and the judiciary exercises its judicial power openly, fairly and impartially, striking a balance between safeguarding national security and protecting rights and freedoms. The human rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents are not only not affected, but are also better protected in a safer environment.

Politicians from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, as well as the European Parliament, have not properly examined the unsightly "report card" of human rights and freedoms in their own countries and regions, but have made point-in-the-finger accusations and false remarks about the human rights and freedoms of other countries and regions, and even openly blasphemed the principle of the rule of law, arrogantly demanding that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region release criminals suspected of serious crimes.

-- "Singing down" Hong Kong's business environment is indeed harboring evil intentions

The United States, Britain and other countries have falsely claimed that Hong Kong's national security legislation will affect Hong Kong's life, work and business, and hinder Hong Kong's open exchanges with the rest of the world, in a vain attempt to shake people's confidence in "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's development. But this kind of lie is so nonsense that it can be broken at the first poke. As we all know, New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and other cities, as international financial centers, have long ago enacted a large number of legal systems with extensive coverage and strict regulations to safeguard national security. In fact, having a sound national security law is the "standard" of an international financial center, as evidenced by the stark contrast between Hong Kong's business environment before and after the enactment and implementation of the National Security Law. At the same time, the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Hong Kong National Security Ordinance were enacted to give full consideration to the needs of Hong Kong's operation as an international financial, shipping and trade centre and the expansion of unimpeded and convenient international connections, so as to ensure that Hong Kong's capitalist system and way of life will not be affected, the normal life of residents, and the legitimate activities of institutions, organizations and personnel in Hong Kong and international exchanges and cooperation. According to a recent report by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, nearly 60 percent of the surveyed companies have a positive assessment of Hong Kong's business environment, and nearly 80 percent believe that Hong Kong is highly competitive. The chairman of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said that the national security local legislation has eliminated uncertainties, Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world, and he will never short Hong Kong. A number of foreign chambers of commerce in Hong Kong have said they are not worried about the impact of the national security law on their business.

On the contrary, people see that the United States, Britain and other countries have unscrupulously undermined Hong Kong's business environment for their political purposes: or played the "panic card" by issuing so-called Hong Kong tourism warnings and concocting so-called "Hong Kong business warnings"; or using the media to hype up the "theory that Hong Kong is finished" and "the theory of Hong Kong's mainlandization" to play the "rumor-mongering card"; Or by abolishing the special trade treatment for Hong Kong, clamoring for the abolition of the privileges and immunities of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Hong Kong, or even closing down the offices, and clamoring for the imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong SAR officials, they may play the "sanctions card" in a vain attempt to strike at Hong Kong's status as an international financial center through a series of perverse measures.

However, no amount of decay or destruction can interfere with Hong Kong's sonorous pace of moving from governance to prosperity. Over the past three years since the enactment and implementation of the National Security Law, the confidence index of Hong Kong citizens and international capital in Hong Kong has continued to rise, and international organizations have a positive assessment of Hong Kong's business environment. In 2023, Hong Kong was ranked No. 1 in the global investment environment, No. 1 in the Asia-Pacific region and No. 2 in the world, with a record number of start-ups increasing by more than 270 from 2022 to nearly 4,300. Since the promulgation and implementation of the National Security Ordinance, a series of international events have been held in Hong Kong, such as the first "One World Forum", the first HSBC Global Investment Summit, the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit, the second "Yu Ze Hong Kong" Summit, Art Basel Hong Kong, the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Global Talent Summit. The latest batch of 25 key enterprises officially signed contracts to land in Hong Kong, and 59 partner institutions from 9 economies settled in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park. All this fully shows that a safer Hong Kong will surely become a hot spot for investment and business, a paradise for entrepreneurship, and a blessed land for realizing dreams.

It should also be pointed out that, as the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned a few days ago, if anyone dares to impose any form of sanctions on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China will resolutely counter them. In fact, Miriam Lexmann and Reinhard Butikofer, who pushed for the European Parliament's so-called Hong Kong-related resolution last month, were sanctioned by China in 2021 for seriously harming China's sovereignty and interests on Xinjiang-related issues and maliciously spreading lies and disinformation, and they and their families were banned from entering Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao SARs. Institutions are restricted from traveling with China. We would like to tell the United States and Britain and a few other countries, as well as some Western institutions and politicians, that if they still stubbornly want to undermine Hong Kong's development through so-called sanctions and suppression, then they will be hit back by the Chinese government and all Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots!

Dark clouds can never hide the sun's rays, and any attack and smear is in vain. Under the escort of high-level safety, the wheels of the new era train "Hong Kong" will surely roll forward and be unstoppable!