Hong Kong government rejects UK criticism of latest security law as biased
13 June, 2020
The Hong Kong government and China's foreign ministry branch in the location hit back again on Friday (Jun 12) at a written report by Britain criticising Beijing's move to impose national security legislation on the global financial hub, saying the survey was "inaccurate and biased".
The British government said the proposed security rules was a clear violation of China's international obligations and a breach of the "one country, two systems" formula which has governed the former Uk colony since its handover to Chinese rule in 1997.
"There is still time for China to reconsider, to step back again from the brink and respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and respect its own international obligations," British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab wrote in the foreword to his government's six-monthly report on Hong Kong.
Raab said a remedy to the unrest fomented by a year of frequently violent rallies in the city "must come from Hong Kong, and can't be imposed from mainland China".
Even so, the Hong Kong authorities said it firmly opposed the report's "inaccurate and biased remarks about the national security regulation and the high amount of autonomy enjoyed simply by (Hong Kong)".
The Commissioner of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said Britain "seriously trampled on the principles of international laws including non-interference in other countries' internal affairs".
Authorities in both Hong Kong and Beijing experience insisted the secureness legislation will focus on small amounts of "troublemakers" who also pose a threat to national protection and can not curb freedoms or perhaps hurt investors.
"Any allegation that the law will undermine Hong Kong people's freedoms and 'one country, two devices' is only alarmist speculation and simply fallacious," the Hong Kong federal government said in a affirmation.
Legislating on national reliability was inside the purview of Beijing, it added, and regulations would help better shield the rights of Hong Kong persons while restoring stableness in the financial center.
The exchange over the security legislation, which is likely to be implemented by September, came as Hong Kong marked the anniversary of a major demonstration that saw a turning point in the city's protest movement.
On Jun 12 last year, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters rallied in the center of the business enterprise district against a proposed Bill that could have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
As the Bill was withdrawn in September, the protest movement evolved into broader appeals for democracy in the location amid fears Beijing was reneging on its pledge to provide Hong Kongers freedoms certainly not enjoyed in the mainland.
STUDENT PROTESTERS
Dozens gathered on Friday in the working class district of Mong Kok and found in a shopping mall found in the Sha Tin district to tag last year's pivotal occasions. Riot police could possibly be seen nearby.
"I am concerned about national security regulations but ... if we shed our faith or we leave Hong Kong, no one will fight for flexibility and democracy,” explained Moon Chan, 22, who gets results in sales.
Earlier on Friday some students formed human chains and there have been also small, calm lunchtime protests in stores. In Taipei, the administrative centre of Taiwan, dozens of folks rallied in solidarity, chanting "No cost Hong Kong. Revolution nowadays".
A student group and several labour unions postponed a vote scheduled for Sunday on whether to carry a wide-level strike to Jun 20, citing forecasts for a storm.
China's Hong Kong Liaison Business office, which serves as a good system for Beijing to task its influence found in the city, said schools should "right away discourage" such activity. It blamed political teams "with ulterior motives" for "shocking chaos in Hong Kong education".
Students experience played a significant role found in the protests, culminating found in the occupation of a good university campus, which resulted in a weeks-long standoff with the police in a few of last year's most violent moments.
The liaison office added that "on the issue of cultivating qualified nationals and emphasising countrywide feelings, there is only 'one country' no 'two systems'".
The student group said it could not "concede to bullying".
Diplomats, lawyers and organization leaders fear national secureness motives will be utilized to curb academic, media and other freedoms.
Britain has been joined by the United States, Australia and Canada in criticising the proposed security laws.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week designated HSBC among the major firms backing the law, telling such "corporate kowtows" got little in return from Beijing and criticising the Chinese Communist Party's "coercive bullying techniques".
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin went a good step even more on Thursday, telling he was focusing on various capital market segments responses to the reliability law, including some methods that could restrict capital flows through the territory.
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