Govt condemns 'visa restrictions' from the US
The SAR government on Saturday expressed its strong condemnation and opposition to "inaccurate statements and smears" made by the United States in its "Hong Kong Policy Act Report 2024" as well as the threat of visa restrictions by America’s top diplomat. In a statement, the government said that content from Washington’s 2024 report was “clearly prepared for the political purpose of protecting the dominance of the US,” and was “fabricated to suppress the rights of development and security interests elsewhere.” The government added it was “a blatant attempt to intimidate the personnel of the Hong Kong SAR who safeguard national security, and a flagrant interference in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs.”  The statement pledged the government would “resolutely fulfill its responsibility to safeguard national security without fear of any intimidation”, demanding that the US immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs. A spokesperson for the Commissioner’s Office of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong also condemned the US, saying it was a gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs, and seriously trampled on the principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations. The Chinese embassy in Washington decried the US report shortly after its release. The responses also came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was preparing to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials who were deemed “responsible” for “the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms”. “Over the past year, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has continued to take actions against Hong Kong’s promised high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and rights and freedoms,” said Blinken in a statement. He said the recent enactment of legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law had “broad and vaguely defined provisions regarding ‘sedition’, ‘state secrets’, and ‘interactions with foreign entities’."