China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to certain countries' blatant slander and smear against Hong Kong's judiciary, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the Jimmy Lai Chee-ying verdict by the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, amid claims from Britain and other countries that Hong Kong's judicial and press freedoms have been undermined.
Resolute support
The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Monday also expressed its resolute support for the HKSAR's duty to safeguard national security and endorsed Lai's conviction.
The office released a statement after the HKSAR High Court found Lai, founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid, guilty of violating the National Security Law for Hong Kong, including two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.
The office said Lai was a primary planner of "anti-China activities" and a "proxy" for external anti-China forces who consistently jeopardized national security and severely damaged the "one country, two systems" principle.
It referenced the social unrest around 2019, alleging that Lai frequently visited Western nations to solicit sanctions against China, manipulated media to incite hatred, and funded anti-government activists.
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According to the statement, extensive facts revealed during the trial proved Lai's actions were detrimental to state security, identifying him as the "chief culprit" of past unrest and a "traitor" serving foreign interests.
The office said that "all people, including Hong Kong compatriots, are filled with righteous indignation and strongly demand his severe punishment in accordance with the law."
The HKMAO reiterated that safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests is the "highest principle" of the "one country, two systems" policy. It noted that since the implementation of the National Security Law, the HKSAR's administrative, legislative, and judicial organs have earnestly fulfilled their duties to prevent and punish acts endangering national security.
The statement said Hong Kong society has returned to normal, with a strong consensus that national security leads to Hong Kong's safety.
"Today's Hong Kong has an increasingly sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security," the office said, adding that the days of external forces and anti-China elements acting with impunity are "gone forever".
'Lai's crimes inflicted severe harm'
Also on Monday, central government officials in the HKSAR said they support the SAR in exercising its legal authority to punish activities that threaten national security.
A spokesperson for Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said that Lai’s crimes had inflicted severe harm on the people of Hong Kong, leaving residents emotionally scarred, and should be punished in accordance with the law.
The Liaison Office strongly condemned the efforts of external anti-China forces to glorify Lai’s unlawful actions and smear the rule of law and the Judiciary in Hong Kong.
“The Hong Kong SAR government is leading all sectors of society to focus on the economy, development, and people's livelihoods, and to carry out disaster relief and recovery efforts, but some anti-China forces and those with ulterior motives still spread rumors, attack the government, incite the public, and seek to disrupt social order and endanger national security,” the office’s spokesperson said, adding that the HKSAR's judicial bodies — by convicting Lai in accordance with the law — has sent a stern warning to anti-China forces that all acts endangering national security will be severely punished by the law.
READ MORE: CE: Lai conviction ‘upholds justice, safeguards core values’
A spokesperson for the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR has also said the office firmly supports the court’s verdict.
The spokesperson said that safeguarding national security is the priority of any nation, and that the evidence presented during Lai’s trial proved he was the primary planner of and participant in a series of anti-China events.
Lai’s behavior, including his blatant encouragement of foreign countries to impose sanctions against the country and the HKSAR, and his encouragement of riots, were conclusive evidence of his guilt, the spokesperson said, adding that Lai’s crimes deserve legal punishment.
Some Western countries even openly defended Lai, glorifying his actions endangering national security, and attempted to interfere in Hong Kong's judicial system, said the spokesperson.
“This was a deliberately designed political maneuver and a blatant violation of the spirit of the rule of law,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson pointed out that safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the highest principle of “one country, two systems”.
The office will unwaveringly fulfill its duties and implement the national security laws comprehensively with the HKSAR to ensure the stability of Hong Kong society and the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” framework, the spokesperson said.
with Xinhua inputs
