Hong Kong officials defend security law after US warns of risks

dpa Hong Kong Hong Kong officials defended the city’s controversial security law in a series of statements on Saturday, after the US government warned th...

dpa Hong Kong Hong Kong officials defended the city’s controversial security law in a series of statements on Saturday, after the US government warned the legislation posed risks to people and companies.Department of Justice (DOJ) said the national security law imposed by Beijing “aligns with international practice.”  The statement followed the US government’s advisory a day earlier, warning companies that doing business in Hong Kong is increasingly risky.“The National Security Law (NSL) is in line with the international practice of safeguarding national security. It is appalling to see that a number of western countries have launched groundless attacks on the NSL with a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community,” Hong Kong’s DOJ said.  The statement defended the law, which was imposed on the territory last year after months of anti-government protests. It clearly stipulated that the rights and freedoms enjoyed under the Basic Law were protected, the Hong Kong DOJ said.Such rights and freedoms are not absolute and subject to restrictions as prescribed by law if deemed necessary in the interests of national security, public safety, public order or the rights and freedoms of others, the statement went on to say.Later on Saturday, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned what she called the “double standards” of the US administration.“We are alarmed by the sweeping and totally unsubstantiated remarks contained in Secretary Blinken’s statement which represent blatant interventions into the internal affairs of the People’s Republic of China of which the HKSAR is an inalienable part,” Lam said.“We cannot allow such misguided remarks to go unchallenged,” she said.On Friday, Washington also imposed sanctions on seven Chinese officials in further support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition.The basis of the sanctions is an executive order issued by then US president Donald Trump last year, which provides for sanctions on, among others, people who implement the controversial Chinese security law in Hong Kong.Any assets of those affected in the United States will be frozen.The security law targets activities that Beijing considers subversive, separatist, terrorist or conspiratorial.Since April, Hong Kong’s government has heavily promoted the national security law to citizens, including in schools and kindergartens, with infants as young as three expected to participate in quizzes and games related to the law.