Govt strongly criticizes US for restricting investments and harming free market principle

The SAR government said the United States will "end up reaping the consequences" after its restrictions on outbound investments in semiconductors, microelectronics, quantum information technology, and AI systems in China and Hong Kong.

The government issued a strong statement of opposition in response to the United States decision and criticized it for targeting Hong Kong for political gain, disrupting normal trade and investment activities, and undermining the free market principle. 

A spokesman slammed American politicians for prioritizing their own interests, which harms both US and Hong Kong businesses as well as global supply chain stability. 

The statement noted that the US was Hong Kong's third-largest trading partner last year, with bilateral trade totaling HK$472.2 billion. 

It said that the US decision to impose restrictions on outbound investments will harm the US trade surplus and strong economic ties with Hong Kong, which amounted to US$271.5 billion over the past decade.