The spokesperson of the Commissioner’s Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR strongly disapproved and firmly rejected the so-called “six-monthly report on Hong Kong” issued by the British government, which once again smeared the Chinese Central Government’s policies towards Hong Kong and the administration of the HKSAR, and slandered Hong Kong’s democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law. We urge the British side to abide by the principles of international law and the basic norms governing international relations and immediately stop the political farce of interfering in Hong Kong affairs.

The spokesperson said that in the 26 years since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the practice of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong has achieved worldly recognized success. Under the national security law and the new electoral system, Hong Kong has entered the stage featuring stability and good governance, and enjoyed social harmony, steady pace of development and a better business environment. Residents’ rights have also been better protected in a safer environment. Ignoring all these, the British side tried to mislead people with a fabricated report, showed support for anti-China forces in Hong Kong, and waded in the trial of national security cases. It will only expose the despicable intention of the British side to disrupt Hong Kong!

The spokesperson stressed that since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the legal basis for the Chinese Government to govern the HKSAR is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The British side has neither sovereignty nor right of governance or supervision over Hong Kong after Hong Kong’s return. The British side is distorting history and legal principles by talking about the so-called “historic responsibility” towards Hong Kong by citing the Joint Declaration. The UK itself has a bad record on the issue of human rights, and it should have serious reflection on itself. In recent years, the number of people living in poverty in the UK has been increasing, people’s rights to life and health have been disregarded, the living conditions of ethnic minorities have continued to deteriorate, and the crime rate has reached record highs. Given such a domestic situation, how can the UK point a finger at democracy and human rights in Hong Kong? The British Parliament recently passed the National Security Act, which covers a wide range of areas and has unparalleled stringent law enforcement, so how could the UK vilify China’s legitimate measures to safeguard national security?

The spokesperson stressed that Hong Kong is part of China and Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs. No matter how many “malicious accusations” the British side makes, they will not shake China’s firm determination to safeguard "one country, two systems" and national security, nor can they stop the historical trend of Hong Kong moving from chaos to stability and prosperity. They will only be recorded as evidence of Britain’s interference in China's internal affairs and attempts to damage Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, adding contemptible footnotes to its colonial nostalgia. We urge the British side to comply with the trend of history, stop making up lies, stop condescending preaching, and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs!