This Nov 17, 2016 photo shows the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Central, Hong Kong. PARKER ZHENG CHINA DAILY HONG KONG - The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region strongly disapproved and firmly rejected the US human rights report.
A spokesman for the office said that the US Department of State's 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices once again waded into China's internal affairs including Hong Kong affairs.
The report defamed the national security law in Hong Kong and the new electoral system, and slandered the law-based administration of the HKSAR government, the statement said.
The Hong Kong residents' right of speech, press and association have been protected, according to the spokesperson.
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The implementation of the national security law and the successful practice of the new electoral system have plugged the loopholes in Hong Kong for safeguarding national security, removed the obstacles to the development of democracy in Hong Kong and defended the rule of law and public order in Hong Kong, according to the spokesperson.
The electoral system and the law have won the support of all the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, said the spokesperson. The HKSAR government is bringing people from all walks of life together to fight the COVID-19 epidemic, revitalizing the economy and improving people's livelihood. The spokesperson said that the United States has a bad track in respecting and protecting human rights both at home and abroad, but it is still obsessed with confusing right and wrong and spreading political lies and ideological prejudices under the guise of human rights. The Freedom Index and the rule of law ranking of the United States have lagged behind Hong Kong, and America is facing human rights tragedies such as botched COVID 19 responses, systemic racism and raging gun violence at home, according to the spokesperson.
It's a lip service for the United States to champion human rights. The country's hegemony and hypocrisy have been seen more clearly in the world, the spokesperson said. It has no right to lecture Hong Kong, a part of China, on the issue of human rights. READ MORE: Truth about blatant US interference in HK-related issues
The spokesperson stated that Hong Kong is part of China and Hong Kong affairs, purely Chinese internal affairs, and that China is fully determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to oppose external interference in Hong Kong affairs.
The US needs to reflect on itself, abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop the political farce that disturbs Hong Kong in the name of human rights, the spokesperson said.