Representatives of the Hong Kong Island Federation gather outside the US consulate general in Hong Kong on Nov 5, 2023 to protest some US Congress members’ proposal to sanction some HKSAR officials, judges and prosecutors. (WU KUNLING / CHINA DAILY)
Sanctions proposed by some US politicians against Hong Kong officials, prosecutors and judges involved in safeguarding national security will be counterproductive and futile, and such serious interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs will make the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region more determined to fulfill its constitutional duties, officials and residents said on Sunday.
Companion legislation introduced on Wednesday in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate calls for US President Joe Biden to determine whether the federal government should impose sanctions against 49 Hong Kong officials for their roles in legal cases involving national security. If the House and Senate approve their respective bills, the legislation will go to Biden, who then must either sign it into law or veto it.
Among the officials the legislation targets are Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok; Sonny Au Chi-kwong, secretary-general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR; Raymond Siu Chak-yee, commissioner of police of the HKSAR government; and Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, chief justice of the Court of Final Appeal.
A spokesperson from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Sunday that Hong Kong’s rule of law has been widely praised by the international community.
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The SAR’s officials and judicial personnel exercise the power of enforcement, prosecution and jurisdiction over serious crimes endangering national security and perform their duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the Basic Law, the National Security Law for Hong Kong and other local laws, the spokesperson said.
Therefore, the threat of sanctions completely deviates from the spirit of the rule of law and disregards international justice, the spokesperson said.
No matter how many tricks some US politicians play, they are doomed to be in vain and futile, and the world can better see through those “paper tigers”, the spokesperson added.
Residents hold a protest action outside the US consulate general in Hong Kong against sanctions proposed by some US politicians against Hong Kong officials, prosecutors and judges on Nov 5, 2023. (AMBER WU / CHINA DAILY)
Stronger determination
In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR said some US politicians’ attempts to disrupt and obstruct the judicial system in Hong Kong through pressure and intimidation will only make people around the world more aware of the US politicians’ “double standards” and sinister intentions. It will only make the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, more united and determined to perform their duties of safeguarding national security, the spokesperson added.
In a separate statement, the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR said the bullying sanctions called for by some US politicians are nothing more than “a piece of wastepaper”, and they will never be able to shake the Hong Kong SAR’s determination to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and safeguard national security. The spokesperson continued that the Hong Kong SAR will not be afraid of any intimidation and will continue to firmly defend the rule of law in Hong Kong and ensure the steady implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.
The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong SAR also issued a statement on Sunday, stating that since the promulgation of the National Security Law in June 2020, the Hong Kong community has gradually recovered from the chaos, people have returned to normal life, and the vibrant business environment has been restored. The cooperation with the mainland in financial, trade, economic, innovation and technology, culture and other fields has further been deepened. This is the reality that US politicians with ill intentions are unwilling to see, the spokesperson said.
The committee will steadily establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanism for the SAR to safeguard national security and effectively prevent, suppress and punish in accordance with the law acts and activities that endanger national security, the spokesperson said.
Residents hold a protest action outside the US consulate general in Hong Kong against sanctions proposed by some US politicians against Hong Kong officials, prosecutors and judges on Nov 5, 2023. (AMBER WU / CHINA DAILY)
On a radio program on Sunday, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that some US politicians want to discredit Hong Kong’s judiciary independence for personal gain. He said the threat of sanctions is “gangster-like” behavior that deserves condemnation from every resident in the city.
Representatives from various sectors of Hong Kong expressed their dissatisfaction with and condemnation of the US politicians on Sunday afternoon. They urged the United States to stop interfering in the SAR’s matters, which are purely the nation’s internal affairs. Some residents also held protests outside the US consulate general in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king said he believes that those US politicians aim to make trouble for Hong Kong, weakening the city’s position as an international financial center and dragging down the nation’s development.
Lee also said that Hong Kong’s overall ranking remains high in the “World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2023”, and the city’s score is higher than last year in terms of order and security and continues to attain the sixth in its global ranking, ahead of some European and American countries, which often unreasonably criticize Hong Kong’s rule of law and human rights situation.
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Legislator Brave Chan Yung said that if attacks on the legislature and law-enforcement agencies take place in Washington, the criminals are punished with the most stringent laws. But when independent judges and law enforcement officers in Hong Kong exercise their duties in accordance with the laws of Hong Kong, they incur the indignation of some US politicians.
Chan also expressed his respect to judicial officers on the sanctions list, saying that they have, as always, shown no fear, and continued to guard the rule of law and the interests of the residents in Hong Kong.
