The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Thursday firmly rejected the irresponsible comments from some U.S. and Western institutions and politicians that smeared the Hong Kong police's legitimate law enforcement actions towards those suspected of endangering national security.
"Rights and freedoms" are not shields for illegal activities in Hong Kong, and the office urged external forces to immediately stop the botched political performances rife with ideological prejudices, said a spokesperson for the office.
Hong Kong is administered by the rule of law where laws must be observed and lawbreakers held accountable, and no one shall be above the law, the spokesperson said.
"It is a globally accepted principle that those who violate laws shall be held to justice regardless of their background or identity," the spokesperson said.
The Hong Kong police, in accordance with their statutory functions and powers and legal procedures, investigated and arrested those suspected of engaging in activities that endanger national security, which are legitimate and necessary actions to safeguard national security as well as the rule of law and justice in the HKSAR, and brook no interference, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson pointed out that since the implementation of the national security law in the HKSAR, China's security has been better protected, the Hong Kong society has been more stable, and the public has enjoyed a stronger sense of security.
For a long time, some outside actors, under the pretext of "democracy", "the rule of law", "human rights" and "freedom", have grossly interfered in Hong Kong affairs and played the "Hong Kong card" to curb China's development, according to the spokesperson.
People around the world have seen through their tricks and hypocrisy, the spokesperson said, adding that hysteria of the external forces has further exposed their anger and anxiety when they saw the "political agents" they supported faced legal consequences.
The spokesperson stressed that those who take a wrong path have no future.
"Vilification of external forces cannot stop the historical trend of Hong Kong's transition from chaos to stability and prosperity, cannot change the bright prospects of Hong Kong's development, and cannot prevent China from achieving great national rejuvenation," the spokesperson said.
The office urged relevant countries and politicians to follow the historical trend, stop slandering the national security law and law enforcement actions of the HKSAR, refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs including Hong Kong affairs, and no longer go down the path leading nowhere.
