China's UN mission criticizes US

China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Thursday criticized its US counterpart for making "unwarranted comments" on the decision by the National People's Congress to improve security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"In gross interference into China's internal affairs, the US Mission made groundless charges against China's lawful and legitimate measures, and raised a baseless request for a Security Council meeting," the Chinese mission said in a statement. "China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition and has lodged solemn representations with the US Mission."

The statement reiterated that Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) of China — that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs — and that it would not allow any external interference.

The statement pointed out that since the turbulence over proposed legislative amendments in 2019, those trying to sow trouble in Hong Kong and China at large have been "colluding with external forces, escalating violence and posing a real threat" to Chinese national security.

"In face of acts seriously undermining national security, no country will sit idly by," it wrote, adding the central government is responsible for upholding national security in China, "as is the case in any other country".

The statement stressed that it is totally "legitimate, legal and imperative" for the Chinese National People's Congress to establish and improve, at the state level, the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security in accordance with China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

The statement underlined that the HKSAR's national security legislation targets "a very narrow category of acts that seriously jeopardize national security. It conduces to better implementing 'one country, two systems' and has no impact on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents or the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in Hong Kong."

The Chinese mission said the US has distorted facts and attempted to "clear the guilt" of those creating troubles for Hong Kong and China as a whole by threatening and intimidating the government of the HKSAR. The mission said the US has an "unshirkable responsibility for the serious, organized violence" that happened in Hong Kong last year.

"Having enacted dozens of national security laws itself, the United States tries to interfere in China's national security legislation. Such a double standard has fully exposed the vicious intention of the United States," the statement said.

The statement reiterated that the legal basis for the Chinese government's administration of Hong Kong is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration, adding that the US has no legal basis or right to invoke the Sino-British Joint Declaration to make "irresponsible remarks" on Hong Kong affairs.

The statement alleged that the "baseless request" of the US is completely motivated by politics and "seriously violates the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the basic norms of international relations … and "seriously disrupts" the order of the UN's work.

"The irresponsible behavior of the US has once again exposed the true face of its power politics and acts of bullying," it said, pointing out that the US has engaged in unilateralism and withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Treaty on Open Skies.

"It abuses force, imposes unilateral sanctions, seeks regime change and creates turmoil ... across the world, severely undermining international law and international order. Facts have repeatedly proved that the United States is the trouble maker in the world," the statement said.

The statement said the Chinese government is firm in its resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests in implementing the policy of "one country, two systems", and oppose external interference in Hong Kong affairs.

"Any attempt to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal affairs is doomed to fail," it said.

"China strongly urges the United States to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's internal matters, immediately stop hegemonism and power politics and attend to its own business, rather than provoking tensions and creating troubles everywhere," it concluded.

Also on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in the US said in a statement that the central government is responsible for upholding national security in China, as is the case in any other country.

"As for foreign meddling in Hong Kong affairs, we will take necessary countermeasures in response," it said.

The Alliance for China's Peaceful Reunification, USA (ACPR-USA) released a statement to express its support of the law.

"Accusation and oppositions on China's national legislation from the United States and other Western countries is neither legal nor likely to succeed," ACPR-USA wrote in a statement Thursday.

"We believe that under the current circumstances in Hong Kong, it's a must to establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism at the national level for HKSAR to safeguard national security, in order to completely change Hong Kong's long-standing 'unguarded' condition in the field of national security, step up efforts to safeguard the security and stability of the country and the Hong Kong region, and ensure that the cause of 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong continues to develop steadily," the ACPR-USA wrote.