Don't meddle in HK affairs, govt tells Washington

Thousands of people had taken part in a march urging the US to censure Hong Kong if it judges that the city's high degree of autonomy has been significantly eroded. Photo: RTHK

The government released a statement late on Sunday night warning foreign legislators not to interfere “in any form in the internal affairs of the HKSAR”, after thousands of protesters marched to the US consulate earlier in the day to urge Washington to pass legislation that could strip Hong Kong of its special trade status with the United States.



A government spokesman said the administration “expresses regret” over the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act”.



This legislation – if passed – would compel the US Secretary of State to assess once a year whether Hong Kong is “sufficiently autonomous” to justify its special trade status as a separate entity from China under the US-Hong Kong Policy Act.



The government statement addressed point by point some of the matters raised by the US legislation, noting that Chief Executive Carrie Lam has already announced that the government will formally withdraw the extradition bill.



He added that there’s no evidence that mainland authorities carried out law enforcement in Hong Kong in relation to the disappearance of a Causeway Bay bookseller in 2015.



"Since the return to the Motherland, the HKSAR has been exercising 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law”, the statement said.



“The one country, two systems' principle has been fully and successfully implemented. Human rights and freedom in Hong Kong are fully protected by the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and other legislation. The HKSAR Government attaches great importance to them and is determined to safeguard them," the spokesman stressed.



The government also condemned illegal acts carried out by ‘radical protesters’ on Sunday, saying they had vandalised several MTR stations, set fires outside the entrance of the Central station, and blocked roads in multiple locations.



“Their vandalising acts deprive the rights of other members of the public to use the MTR and must be stopped immediately”, the spokesman said.