The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today rejected what it condemned as baseless remarks, slander and smears made by the UK and other countries at an event titled “Media Freedom in Hong Kong”.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it strongly disapproves of and firmly rejects repeated remarks made by the UK, together with other countries, regarding human rights in Hong Kong.

Highlighting that such remarks amount to political manipulation that disregards and twists facts, the statement condemned the attempts by countries to interfere with Hong Kong’s law-based governance and undermine its rule of law, prosperity and stability, adding that these attempts are doomed to failure.

The Hong Kong SAR Government urged the countries concerned to discern facts from fallacies, respect international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which it stressed are purely China’s internal affairs.

The statement added that the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), promulgated by the Hong Kong SAR Government soon after it was enacted by the country’s central authorities in 2020, has effectively safeguarded national security in Hong Kong, allowing order to be restored in a transition from chaos to governance while giving better protection to people’s rights and freedoms.

Furthermore, the statement outlined that since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, Hong Kong residents have enjoyed rights and freedoms under the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance and other relevant laws.

It added that the NSL clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in the safeguarding of national security in Hong Kong, and that the rights and freedoms its residents enjoy under the Basic Law, and under the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, as applied to the city – including freedoms of the press, speech and publication – shall be protected in accordance with the law.

The statement said that following the NSL’s implementation, the media landscape in Hong Kong remains vibrant, and that the media’s freedom to comment on and criticise government policies remaining uninhibited as long as it is not in violation of the law.

The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that Hong Kong is underpinned by the rule of law and adheres to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers held accountable. Any suggestion that people or organisations from certain backgrounds or occupations should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts is tantamount, it added, to granting them privileges to break the law.

Emphasising that Hong Kong is advancing from stability to prosperity, the statement reiterated that the city steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty as well as national security and development interests, and faithfully upholds the principle of “one country, two systems”.

It added that the Hong Kong SAR Government will resolutely, fully and faithfully implement the NSL and further strengthen Hong Kong’s legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security to prevent, suppress and punish, in accordance with the law, acts and activities that endanger national security.