This photo dated Feb 16, 2012 shows the Central Government Offices in Admiralty, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - A spokesman for the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said on Thursday that the HKSAR government strongly deplored and objected to the meeting between a cabinet minister of Britain and anti-government individuals from Hong Kong, where the regional flag of the HKSAR was deliberately shown despite that the people have no official capacity.

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"This is clearly yet another provocative act of the British government following the recent release of the Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong, in which the HKSAR was maliciously maligned. The comments on the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport holders also breached international obligations," the spokesman said in a statement released on Thursday. 

This is clearly yet another provocative act of the British government following the recent release of the Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong, in which the HKSAR was maliciously maligned.

Spokesman for HKSAR govt

In response to media inquiries, the spokesman said over the past 23 years, the HKSAR has adhered strictly to the Constitution and the Basic Law and successfully implemented "one country, two systems". 

The rule of law and judicial independence have been held in high regard in the international community, and Hong Kong's status as a financial center has developed well with the support of the central government. 

"These great achievements are testimony that 'one country, two systems' is the best system for safeguarding Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," the spokesman said.

The spokesman also pointed out that when the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed, the Chinese government and the British government exchanged memoranda in which Britain clearly pledged not to confer the right of abode in Britain on holders of the BN(O) passport who are Chinese nationals in Hong Kong.

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"If the UK government deliberately violates its pledge made in the British memorandum associated with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, paying no regard to the central government's firm opposition and repeated representations, and insists on using the BN(O) passport or relevant status that some people in Hong Kong still hold for political maneuvers under the pretext of human rights and democracy to provide a path for relevant persons to reside and obtain citizenship in the UK, such a move would totally disregard history and breach international obligations," the spokesman added.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel met with exiled "Hong Kong independence" advocator Nathan Law Kwun-chung and others on Wednesday, and they posed for pictures with the British and HKSAR flags as the background.