2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> Hong Kong> Content
Saturday, May 30, 2020, 18:39
Justice chief refutes claim that HKSAR has lost autonomy
By chinadailyhk.com
Saturday, May 30, 2020, 18:39 By chinadailyhk.com


HONG KONG - The accusations US President Donald Trump leveled at the practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong is a gross misrepresentation of the ground situation, said Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah.

Speaking to the media after attending a radio program on Saturday, Cheng rejected US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Hong Kong has lost its autonomy.

“It is said that we are becoming 'one country, one system' with loss of autonomy, that is completely false and wrong,” said Cheng.

As a matter of fact, people often forget that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is part of China, we are one country. Without "one country", there is not any basis to talk about "two systems".

Teresa Cheng,  Secretary for Justice, HKSAR

She said national security is a matter under the purview of the central authorities.

READ MORE: HK justice chief: Draft legislation enshrined in law

"As a matter of fact, people often forget that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is part of China, we are one country. Without ‘one country’, there is not any basis to talk about ‘two systems’.

"Therefore, insofar as the national security is concerned, as in any other country in the world, this is a matter that belongs to the central authorities, whether it is a unitary or federal state,” Cheng said.

She said that international law empowers all nations to legislate on domestic affairs. The threat of sanctions by any third country constitutes interference in the internal affairs of other countries, which is utterly unacceptable, she emphasized.

"As to the suggestion of certain individuals or perhaps a particular region being sanctioned as a result of China passing the national security law, we step back and look at it in this way: national security is of prime importance to any sovereign state, and any sovereign state must, as a matter of its sovereign right, and indeed duty, to protect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of any state. Therefore, passing national security law is something that any state has to do," Cheng said.

ALSO READ: Attempts to derail legislation 'violations of international law'

 


Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !