HONG KONG - The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Thursday expressed strong disapproval and firm opposition, condemning the act of a U.S. consular official who openly exerted pressure on judicial proceedings in the HKSAR, grossly interfered in the internal affairs of the HKSAR and its judicial independence, and attempted to whitewash anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong suspected of violating the law.

A spokesperson for the office pointed out that the HKSAR is governed by the rule of law, where laws shall be abided by and rigorously enforced, and no one shall be above the law. Human rights and freedoms are not pretexts for engaging in criminal acts. The action taken by the Hong Kong Police Force towards the relevant persons and the trial conducted by the HKSAR court in accordance with law are legitimate and necessary efforts to safeguard national security and defend the rule of law and justice in the HKSAR.

The spokesperson said that it is purely an internal affair of the HKSAR, and external forces shall not interfere. Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Article 55 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations stipulate that diplomatic and consular personnel have "the duty to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State" and "the duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of the State".

"We strongly urge the relevant consular officials to earnestly respect China's sovereignty and security, observe international law and basic norms governing international relations, adhere to the laws of China including the HKSAR, and abide by their duties as consular personnel. They must stop colluding with anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong, refrain from going further down the wrong path, and stop playing with fire," the spokesperson said.