HKMAO: US 'smears' National Security Law

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Sunday said it firmly opposed and condemned the temporary "safe haven" offered by the US to Hong Kong residents staying there.

Its comments come after US President Joe Biden signed a memo last week to implement a "deferral of removal" for up to 18 months for Hong Kong residents currently in the United States, citing the national security law that Beijing imposed on the SAR last year.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the office accused Washington of standing with "very few people" opposing China and stirring up trouble in the SAR.

He said Washington and a few countries had "smeared" the National Security Law by saying it endangered Hong Kong people's rights and freedoms, but this only illustrated how "precise" and "effective" the law was, and also highlighted the "hypocrisy" of the United States.

The Foreign Ministry office in Hong Kong on Friday condemned a move by the United States to offer temporary "safe haven" to SAR residents, saying its plot to oppose China and upset the city's order is bound to fail.

The Hong Kong government echoed those views, saying "the US has prolific laws on national security, but chooses to smear the Hong Kong National Security Law out of political motivation."