HKSAR Government hopes US Government would handle acts on Hong Kong prudently

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (November 21) expressed strong opposition to the passage of the Senate version of the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" and another act on Hong Kong by the House of Representatives of the United States (US) Congress. The two acts will not only interfere in the internal affairs of Hong Kong, but will also send an erroneous signal to the violent protesters, which would not be conducive to de-escalating the situation in Hong Kong.

     A government spokesman said clearly yesterday (November 20) that the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" and the other act on Hong Kong were unnecessary and unwarranted. They would also harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US.

     The spokesman said, "The US has enormous economic interests in Hong Kong, including earning from Hong Kong the largest bilateral trade surplus amongst its global trading partners for the past decade, and the surplus stood at over US$33 billion last year. Any unilateral change of US economic and trade policy towards Hong Kong would create a negative impact on the relations between the two sides as well as the US' own interests. Furthermore, Hong Kong and the US have close co-operation on export control and law enforcement."

     The spokesman added that the HKSAR Government hopes to continue to work with the US in maintaining a mutually beneficial co-operative relationship. It hopes that the US Government would also have this objective in mind and handle the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" and the other act on Hong Kong prudently, avoiding making them into US law.

     The spokesman reiterated that foreign governments and legislatures should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of the HKSAR.