US 'trying to use HK to contain China'

China's foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong yesterday challenged an American warning about the erosion of standards in the SAR because of the national security law.

US State Department official Ned Price said on Tuesday that the risks to the rule of law formerly limited to the mainland now included Hong Kong. In addition, the erosion of the rule of law in Hong Kong was "a great concern" to the American and the international business communities in the SAR.

In response, a spokesman for the foreign ministry office urged Washington to stop misleading US and other international enterprises in Hong Kong with unfounded accusations.

The United States does not in fact want to see a well-developed and stable Hong Kong and would like to use the SAR to contain China's development, he added. But the threats would not stop China from safeguarding sovereignty and the implementation of one country, two systems in Hong Kong."Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs," the spokesman said. "We urge the US to stop interfering."

Price also said that Washington would continue to hold Hong Kong authorities accountable for the erosion of rule of law in the SAR.

"We know that a healthy business community relies on the rule of law, which the national security law that applies to Hong Kong continues to undermine," he said.

The US State Department also issued a warning to businesses about increased risks through supply chain and investment links to Xinjiang, citing forced labor and human rights abuses in the autonomous region.

Asked if a similar warning would be issued over Hong Kong, Price said the US government did not have anything to announce at this time.

But Reuters reported that President Joe Biden's administration could announce a similar advisory on Hong Kong as soon as tomorrow based on the deteriorating conditions in the SAR.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po was also in the picture yesterday, saying to the Federation of Hong Kong Industries: "The conflict between China and the US is expected to continue."

China will definitely be the force for growth in Hong Kong, he contended, as it was the only major economy to expand last year and its economic growth is expected to be more than 6 percent this year.

"Under this trend, more Hong Kong enterprises are shifting from the overseas market to the mainland market," he said.