Hong Kong criticises US and UK reports on declining freedoms

Hong Kong has reacted angrily to what it calls “unfounded and ludicrous charges” made in important reports from the United Kingdom and the United States, which claim that the territory’s democratic rights and freedoms are deteriorating.

The UK, which administered Hong Kong as a colony until handing it over to China in 1997, said in a six-month update issued on Thursday that “alternative voices in Hong Kong’s government, legislature, civil society, and media have been all but obliterated.”

In a report covering the period from March 2021 to March 2022, the US came to the same conclusion: “(Chinese) authorities took actions that effectively criminalised peaceful political expression critical of the central and local governments and eliminated the ability of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition to play a meaningful role in the city’s governance,” it said.

The assessments were swiftly rejected by the Hong Kong administration.

“We strongly oppose the unfounded and ridiculous allegations made by foreign countries through various reports against the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government,” it said in a statement, adding that Hong Kong continued to enjoy “a high degree of autonomy” under the “one country, two systems” policy adopted after its return to Chinese rule.

“The HKSAR Government strongly encourages other nations to refrain from intervening in China’s internal affairs through Hong Kong matters,” the statement stated.

The recent claims from the United Kingdom and the United States follow the resignation of two British Supreme Court judges, blaming the implications of China’s National Security Law, which was enacted nearly two years ago.

Carrie Lam, the company’s CEO, characterised their departure as “politically driven” on Thursday.

The UK study emphasised the closure of independent and pro-democracy media outlets, such as Stand News, which was forced to close in December following a police raid and the arrests of its current and past editors.

The widely famous Apple Daily ceased publication in June after its assets were frozen and its premises were searched. Its creator, businessman Jimmy Lai, is one of the most well-known persons to have been detained under the National Security Law and remains imprisoned after being denied bail.

The report also mentioned the targeting of the British NGO Hong Kong Watch as a “egregious and unacceptable example of how the authorities appear to be attempting to exploit the legislation to restrict even those outside of Hong Kong’s boundaries.”

Both reports also mentioned modifications to Hong Kong elections to guarantee that only “patriots” can run for office, with fewer legislative council seats decided by public vote and many pro-democracy politicians imprisoned or disqualified. The December election had the lowest turnout of any election since the handover.

They also mentioned the crackdown on any form of Tiananmen Square memorial, such as the prohibition on an annual vigil to honour those died in 1989, the closing of a museum dedicated to the tragedy, and the removal of sculptures commemorating the incident.

“As the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to Beijing approaches, Hong Kong’s freedoms are dwindling as the PRC (People’s Republic of China) tightens its grip,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement accompanying the current Hong Kong Policy Act Report. “Due to the PRC’s increasing persecution, the distinctions between Hong Kong and cities in mainland China are decreasing.”

After massive pro-democracy rallies, some of which became violent, rocked the city in 2019, China implemented the security law in June 2020. The broad law criminalises activities that Beijing considers to be secession, subversion, terrorism, or coordination with foreign forces.

Hong Kong stated on Friday that the bill had “established stability” and that the government remained committed to the rule of law and judicial independence.

It claimed that the security law did not limit Hong Kong’s freedoms, which China had vowed to respect for at least 50 years.

“Law-abiding citizens will not inadvertently breach the law,” the administration stated.

It further asserted that the media scene in Hong Kong was “as lively as ever,” with 211 organisations registered with the government.

“The media can exercise their right to monitor the HKSAR Government’s activities, and their ability to comment on or even criticise administration policies remains unrestricted as long as this does not violate the law,” the government stated.