The government on Saturday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to a joint statement by ten countries on the sentencing of Joshua Wong for conspiracy to commit collusion, saying it distorted facts and smeared the SAR.

A government spokesman said the statement by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand disregarded facts, interfered with the SAR's independent judicial power, and urged the countries to stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China's internal affairs.

Wong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collude with foreign countries or external elements to endanger national security, and the court sentenced him independently on the evidence, the spokesperson said.

"Attempting to distort criminal judgments handed down in accordance with the law into actions targeting 'political expression' or 'political participation' is purely political manipulation deliberately intended to confuse the public and distort right and wrong," the spokesman said.

"Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law. The HKSAR Government has been consistently fulfilling its constitutional duty to safeguard national security in accordance with the law, upholding the principles that laws must be observed and strictly enforced to bring offenders to account."




Edited by Altis Wong