Hypocritical Of US To Offer Haven For HKers: Beijing

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.

US President Joe Biden earlier signed a memo 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.

A spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said it is "hypocritical" and "shameless" of the American government to do so.

"[The US move] is not to support the 'rights and freedoms' of Hong Kong people, but to condone the 'freedoms' of a handful of anti-China forces... to mess Hong Kong up and endanger the national security of China," the spokesman said in a statement.

He accused the US authorities of trying to contain China by smearing Hong Kong and undermining the SAR's prosperity and stability, and said it is a lost cause because 1.4 billion Chinese people – including Hongkongers – will not have it.

The spokesman added there has been a marked decrease in the number of crime cases in Hong Kong since the security law took effect, and that people in the SAR have become more confident in the One Country, Two Systems principle.

The Hong Kong government echoed those views.

In a statement, a spokesman says "the US has prolific laws on national security, but chooses to smear the Hong Kong National Security Law out of political motivation."

It also says any law-enforcement actions taken here are based on evidence and strictly according to the law, and have nothing to do with the political stance, background or occupation of those in question.

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