The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it strongly disapproves of, and firmly rejects, the groundless attacks, slanders and smears against the Hong Kong SAR made in the UK’s six-monthly report on Hong Kong: January to June.

It highlighted that the UK had attempted to make misleading and irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong matters, and allowed politics to prevail over law-based administration.

The Hong Kong SAR Government iterated that the Hong Kong SAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, is a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under “one country, two systems”, and comes directly under the Central People’s Government.

It strongly urged the UK to discern facts from fallacies, respect international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China’s internal affairs.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said it strongly refuted the UK’s fallacious remarks about the reform of Hong Kong’s District Councils (DCs), stressing that it is necessary to reform DCs and put an end to the chaos of the sixth-term DCs.

It added that the seventh-term DCs will strictly adhere to the positioning outlined for them under the Basic Law, meaning they will carry out advisory and service functions, contribute to Hong Kong’s district governance work, and respond to the public expectations.

In respect of safeguarding national security, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the UK was turning a blind eye to the fact that the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) has allowed the livelihoods and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to resume as normal and the city’s business environment to be restored.

The Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that the UK recently passed its own National Security Act, which introduced modern espionage offences and a foreign interference offence with extra-territorial effect. It said the law also created a foreign activities and foreign influence registration scheme, and granted law enforcement authorities a wide range of powers to take prevention and investigation measures.

In light of this act, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the UK has no right or qualification to make scandalous accusations against the measures taken by the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government to safeguard national security.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also stated that it is in line with international practice for the Hong Kong Police Force and other law enforcement agencies to release information regarding fugitive offenders who have allegedly committed serious offences and are wanted, and to appeal to members of the public to assist in bringing those offenders to justice.

Additionally, it said trial by a panel of three judges instead of by a jury, in specified circumstances outlined in Article 46 of the NSL, is intended to safeguard rather than undermine the right of defendants to a fair trial, and that judges will give the reasons for their verdicts to ensure open justice.

It added that legislation designed to safeguard national security is in place in Northern Ireland authorising the prosecutorial authority to issue certificates so that certain types of cases must be tried by a judge without a jury.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 addresses the participation of overseas lawyers who are not generally qualified to practise in the Hong Kong SAR in relation to cases concerning national security, so as to effectively remove potential national security risks associated with the participation of such lawyers in such cases, in line with the spirit of the interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of NSL Articles 14 and 47 on December 30, 2022.

The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that it will continue to create strong impetus for growth, forge the better integration of a capable government and an efficient market, and proactively attract enterprises and talent to strengthen the city’s competitiveness, with a view to steadily advancing from stability to prosperity.