The Legislative Council has firmly opposed and strongly condemned US politicians on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for using a so-called "hearing" regarding the Jimmy Lai Chee-ying case to make false and smearing remarks, and for threatening to impose "sanctions."
A LegCo spokesperson said on September 17 that the council fully supports the HKSAR Government in acting in accordance with the law and resolutely rejects what it called maliciously provocative political manoeuvring and alarmist talk.
The spokesperson emphasised that safeguarding national security is a universally recognised international practice and obligation, and accused the US politicians of hypocrisy and double standards by pointing fingers at the HKSAR's lawful actions while maintaining their own national security legal framework.
On the Jimmy Lai case, the spokesperson said it has nothing to do with freedom of the press, accusing the defendants of using journalism as a guise to create social conflicts, incite hatred and glorify violence. The spokesperson supported the courts in conducting independent trials and condemned attempts to intimidate HKSAR officials and judicial officers with sanctions.
The spokesperson said Hong Kong's social order has returned to the right track since the implementation of the National Security Law and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," with the business environment performing well and the city continuing to rank among the top globally in economic freedom and rule of law indices.
