The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed utmost anger at sanctions imposed by the United States Government on six Central People's Government and Hong Kong SAR Government officials.

In a statement today, the Hong Kong SAR Government denounced the US Department of State's coercive measures under the so-called “The President's Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization”.

It said that this latest attempt by the US Government to intervene in the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and obstruct actions taken by the Hong Kong SAR authorities to safeguard national security, since the enactment of the National Security Law, is insane, shameless and despicable.

Since the National Security Law’s implementation, the US Government has exploited every incident and excuse to make slanderous remarks about it and attack PRC and Hong Kong SAR authorities in their dutiful, faithful and lawful implementation of the National Security Law.

The Hong Kong SAR added it suspects that the National Security Law has touched a nerve of those foreign or external forces.

The Hong Kong SAR Government noted that for months during the outbreak of anti-government riots and extensive violence in Hong Kong in 2019, and further to the enactment of the National Security Law, the US Congress and the White House have been making successive laws and pronouncing sweeping actions pursuant to the President's executive order targeting the Hong Kong SAR under the pretext of human rights, democracy and autonomy.

With recent events in the United States Capitol, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it should be obvious to and resented by many people that the US acts are displaying double standards and hypocrisy, let alone blatantly breaching international laws and basic norms governing international relations.

It pointed out that the US Government claims that the imposition of sanctions or the designation of certain individuals for punitive actions was in response to the enactment and enforcement of the National Security Law, adding this is a lame excuse that can hardly stand up to challenge.

The Hong Kong SAR Government severely condemned the US Government for yet again resorting to threatening PRC and Hong Kong SAR government officials through economic, financial or other means, and deliberately making public the personal information of those government officials.

Speaking on behalf of her senior colleagues who have been targeted in successive acts of the US Department of State since last August for their involvement in the National Security Law, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that such a deplorable move is illegitimate and violates established principles of international law. It will not achieve its objective of implicit subjugation. 

Mrs Lam said she and her colleagues are discharging an honourable duty to prevent, stop and punish, in accordance with the law, acts and activities endangering national security and that they will not be intimidated. 

The Hong Kong SAR Government will fully support the Central Government in adopting appropriate countermeasures, it added.