HKSAR gov't strongly objects to acts on Hong Kong becoming US law

HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday expressed strong opposition to the fact that the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 and another act on Hong Kong have become US law, and deeply regretted that the United States has disregarded the genuine concerns raised repeatedly by Hong Kong on the two acts.

"The two acts clearly intervene in Hong Kong's internal affairs," a HKSAR government spokesman said in a statement. "They are unnecessary and unwarranted, and would harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US."

The two acts are unreasonable, said the spokesman. Although human rights and democracy are mentioned in the title of the act, some of the provisions in the act are actually about export control and enforcement of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations in Hong Kong, which are totally unrelated to human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.

The two acts will also send "an erroneous signal" to protesters, which is not conducive to alleviating the situation in Hong Kong, the spokesman added.

The United States has enormous economic interests in Hong Kong, including earning from Hong Kong the largest bilateral trade surplus amongst its global trading partners for the past decade, and the surplus stood at over $33 billion last year, the spokesman said in the statement.

"Any unilateral change of US economic and trade policy towards Hong Kong would create a negative impact on the relations between the two sides as well as the US' own interests," the spokesman added.

The HKSAR government hoped that the US government would adopt a pragmatic attitude, and would maintain its economic and trade policy and principled positions towards Hong Kong as well as continue to respect Hong Kong's status as a separate customs territory, he said.

The spokesman reiterated that foreign governments and legislatures should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of the HKSAR.