China strongly condemns the United States’ acts of wantonly smearing the national security law and judicial independence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and clamoring for sanctions against the judges of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the office made the remarks in response to a so-called report released by the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
Stressing that the judicial independence in the HKSAR will never allow U.S. politicians to interfere, the spokesperson said the central government firmly supports and fully guarantees that the judicial organs and personnel of the HKSAR perform their duties independently and impartially in accordance with the law.
Judicial independence is an internationally recognized principle of the rule of law, the spokesperson noted.
Since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the judges of the HKSAR exercise their judicial power over criminal cases suspected of endangering national security in accordance with laws such as the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the national security law, which is completely justified, said the spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.
Those American politicians who keep touting the rule of law and judicial independence actually imposed sanctions against the dedicated judges of the HKSAR, which further confirms that the U.S. is the biggest destroyer of the rule of law and judicial independence in the HKSAR, the spokesperson said.
Since the implementation of the national security law in the HKSAR, the region’s business environment has continued to improve, and the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have been better protected, the spokesperson said.
However, the interference in relevant law enforcement, prosecution and trial work in the HKSAR by some U.S. politicians clearly obstructs the effective implementation of the national security law, allowing those who endanger national security and the HKSAR’s stability to get away with crime, said the spokesperson.
After the release of the so-called report, the HKSAR government, judicial organs, lawyers and people from all walks of life strongly condemned the acts of the U.S. politicians and firmly expressed the determination to maintain the rule of law and judicial independence in the HKSAR, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the central government fully supports the judicial organs and personnel of the HKSAR in performing their duties to safeguard national security and the authority of the rule of law in the HKSAR, and protects their legitimate rights.
