Government condemns statement by G7 foreign ministers

The government on Saturday strongly condemned a statement issued by foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries and the High Representative of the European Union, saying it deliberately misled the public and smeared the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. A government spokesman described the statement as "unfounded and biased". He stressed that it was Hong Kong's constitutional duty to safeguard national security. "Many common law jurisdictions, including western countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Singapore, have enacted multiple pieces of legislation to safeguard national security," he said. "Turning a blind eye to the fact and making exaggerated remarks, the G7 foreign ministers and the High Representative of the EU have demonstrated typical political hegemony and hypocrisy with double standards." The G7 statement expressed concerns about civil and political rights and freedoms in Hong Kong in light of the introduction of the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance under Article 23 of the Basic Law. The government spokesman dismissed the criticism, saying that the legislation would not affect normal business operations, adding that law-abiding businessmen and travellers visiting Hong Kong would not engage in activities that endanger national security and therefore would not unknowingly violate the law. He added that a majority of the submissions received during the public consultation on the legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law were supportive and positive, reflecting a strong consensus in society for the legislation.