Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government tonight said it strongly disapproves of and refutes untruthful remarks, slanders and smears against various aspects of the Hong Kong SAR contained in the US’ “2026 Hong Kong Policy Act Report”.
In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government demanded that the US immediately stop acting against international law and the basic norms of international relations by interfering in Hong Kong matters, which it said are purely China’s internal affairs.
It iterated that the Hong Kong SAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, and that as a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under the principle of “one country, two systems”, it comes directly under the jurisdiction of the Central People’s Government.
The statement said the US report repeated fallacies about Hong Kong with a political purpose – that of maintaining US hegemony – and confounded right and wrong, but that such attempts by the US to undermine the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong exposed its slyness and will not succeed.
With regard to safeguarding rights and freedoms, the Hong Kong SAR Government said that since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, human rights in the city have been robustly guaranteed by both the Constitution and the Basic Law.
It added that since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO), the media landscape in Hong Kong has remained vibrant, while the media environment in the US is becoming increasingly severe.
It highlighted that, according to statistics, US law enforcement authorities arrested more than 30 journalists in 2025 alone, while there were more than 170 cases of violence against journalists, including instances of them being forcibly pinned to the ground, beaten them with batons, and even shot, with 90% of such incidents involving law enforcement officers. It is commonplace, the Hong Kong SAR Government said, for US officials to ban certain media outlets from attending press conferences or verbally abuse reporters who ask questions, while they have even threatened to prosecute media outlets for treason. US fabrication of facts about freedom of speech in Hong Kong is therefore utterly shameless, it added.
The Hong Kong SAR Government remarked that it strongly opposes absurd and false claims regarding its efforts to safeguard national security. It said the US Government had vilified the Hong Kong SAR’s legislative work, as well as the city’s law enforcement agencies, and its prosecutorial and judicial authorities, in claiming that fulfilment of their duties constituted a systemic “degradation” or “impediment” of rights and freedoms.
It said that the US routinely ignores the non-interference principle under international law, wantonly and arbitrarily interfering with other countries’ internal affairs, grooming agents, instigating “colour revolutions”, and even creating social unrest and humanitarian disasters through acts of economic and military coercion, thereby causing suffering to innocent civilians in many countries.
The Hong Kong SAR Government said it must perform its constitutional duty to continue to improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security. It emphasised that the report entirely disregards this constitutional duty and the practical needs of the Hong Kong SAR to enact legislation, and overlooks the circumstances stipulated for the exercise of relevant powers as laid out in the Safeguarding National Security (Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Regulation. It said the US deliberately turns a blind eye to the positive effects brought by the implementation of relevant laws on economic development and the protection of human rights, demonstrating hypocrisy and a “my-way-or-the-highway” hegemonic logic.
In relation to November’s fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it firmly rejected the report’s malicious attacks on the city’s law enforcement actions and attempts to sow discord. It condemned any attempts to use the disaster to stir up chaos in society and disregard the rescue operations and support work enacted by the Hong Kong SAR Government and all sectors of the community. Regarding those arrested over alleged seditious speech, it added that criminal acts exploiting the fire cannot be tolerated and must be handled in accordance with the law.
In respect of a case that involved the offence of “dealing with funds or financial assets or economic resources belonging to, or owned or controlled by, a relevant absconder”, the statement stressed that the court in question made clear that the defendant’s conviction and sentencing followed a fair trial in which he was found to have dealt with funds belonging to an absconder in contravention of the SNSO. It said this was totally unrelated to whether the defendant was a relative of the absconder, and highlighted that the defendant has withdrawn an appeal.
The statement also highlighted that in handling cases concerning offences endangering national security the Hong Kong SAR Government applies the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Executive, in conjunction with the National Security Committee, recently introduced the 2026 Implementation Rules for Amending the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The statement outlined that the 2026 implementation rules enhance measures that the Hong Kong SAR’s law enforcement authorities may take, while clarifying relevant legal procedures and technical arrangements, so as to strengthen the enforcement powers of law enforcement authorities, allowing them to prevent and investigate cases more effectively, thereby mitigating risks to national security.
The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that it steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests, and will resolutely, fully and faithfully continue to implement the HKNSL, the SNSO and other relevant laws so as to prevent, suppress and impose punishment against acts and activities endangering national security in accordance with the law. At the same time, it will safeguard the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong people, ensuring the steadfast and successful implementation of “one country, two systems”.