Photo shows the building of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in HKSAR on March. 21, 2017. (Photo: Xinhua)
In response to certain US politicians once again pushing forward legislation that smears Hong Kong's autonomy and rule of law while calling for the revocation of privileges for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) in the US, or even their closure, a spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) expressed strong condemnation and firm opposition on Wednesday.
The spokesperson emphasized that the HKETOs in the US are official institutions representing the HKSAR and play a positive role in promoting economic and trade exchanges and practical cooperation between Hong Kong and the US.
Their legitimate functions must not be unreasonably questioned, the spokesperson said.
Certain US politicians, driven by their own political self-interest, have blatantly smeared and slandered Hong Kong's trade offices, not only undermining normal HKSAR-US exchanges and cooperation, but also exposing their malicious intent to see Hong Kong unstable and unsuccessful, the spokesperson noted.
US lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Tuesday that could close Hong Kong's representative offices in America if the White House determines that Beijing has undermined the city's autonomy, an effort that failed in the previous congressional session, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.
The bill would amend the US State Department's annual review of Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status to require the US president to explain to Congress why the three HKETOs in the country should retain or lose diplomatic privileges, the SCMP said.
The spokesperson stressed that China urges these US politicians to immediately pull back from the brink and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs at once. If the US side insists on going its own way, it will face a resolute countermeasure from the Chinese side, the spokesperson said.
