HONG KONG, Aug. 8 -- Various sectors in Hong Kong on Saturday strongly condemned the so-called U.S. sanctions against heads of Chinese government agencies responsible for Hong Kong affairs and officials of the HKSAR, saying the move is groundless and interfering in China's internal affairs.
A statement issued by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said that the U.S. government's accusations against the officials related is totally groundless and arbitrary.
The alliance said that any country has the right to safeguard its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. All walks of life in Hong Kong have welcome the enactment of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR and spoken highly of the determination of the central government and the HKSAR government to ensure the steady and sustainable development of "one country, two systems."
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions strongly protested against the U.S. government's sanctions against Chinese officials and severely condemned the U.S. government's gross interference in China's internal affairs.
It said in a statement that the national security law in the HKSAR promptly and effectively stopped the violent acts by rioters in Hong Kong, restored social order, protected the people's safety, thus enabling the HKSAR government to concentrate on the anti-epidemic work.
Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR government Teresa Cheng said that the illegal so-called sanction imposed by the United States has further strengthened her belief in safeguarding national security. With the motherland's strong backing for the HKSAR, the U.S. government's move is doomed to be futile.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau said that the outrageous and unreasonable acts of the United States will definitely affect the relations between China's Hong Kong and the United States.
It is right and proper for Hong Kong to safeguard national security and foreign enterprises need a stable environment to operate in Hong Kong, he said, adding that if the United States unilaterally takes unreasonable action, it will ultimately affect U.S. businesses.
Chan Man-ki, founding president of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, said that "one country, two systems" is the cornerstone of Hong Kong being an international financial centre and an international metropolis. American businessmen doing business in Hong Kong are beneficiaries of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability under "one country, two systems."
She pointed out that the United States, confounding right with wrong and suppressing China with lies of so-called equality, peace, freedom and democracy, will reap the consequences.
In response to the so-called U.S. sanctions, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said that unilateral sanctions imposed by foreign governments are not part of the international targeted financial sanctions system passed by the United Nations and have no legal effect in Hong Kong.
The Non-official Members of the Executive Council said in a statement that the U.S. government's claim that the imposition of the so-called sanctions is in response to the enactment of the national security law in the HKSAR is unsubstantiated and sweeping. They express regret over the U.S. government's act which has undermined the relations between China's Hong Kong and the United States.