Hong Kong national security law: Beijing slams ‘bully’ US over annual report to Congress

Beijing’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong has slammed the United States over its “naked double standard and bullying acts” after Washington said in an annual report to Congress that the city’s high degree of autonomy was being severely eroded.

Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok on Saturday also defended the broad scope of potential legal changes raised by the city government, derived from Beijing’s ruling, to give the chief executive final say on whether overseas lawyers can take up national security cases, including civil ones.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign affairs office in Hong Kong accused Washington of meddling in the city’s affairs.

“The US itself has a rigorous national security system, but attacks China’s legitimate measures to safeguard national security and exaggerates the chilling effect of the national security law,” he said.

“The naked double standard and bullying acts of the US only exposed its dark mentality of seeking to disrupt Hong Kong, and its ulterior motive of using Hong Kong to contain China under the guise of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

“We urge the US side to recognise the facts, mind its own business, stop all self-humiliating moves and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any form.”