Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang defended the security law for Hong Kong and Macau shortly after the People’s Congress passed the law.
The law allows China to maintain stricter order in the two autonomous regions. According to critics, including the United States, that autonomy is now effectively ending.
In his annual press conference, Li denied that. “One country, two systems is still the starting point,” he answered when asked whether China would abandon that principle.
By this, he refers to Hong Kong democracy, the free market economy and the independent judiciary. The security law, according to Li, is good for the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.
The United States has already threatened several times with sanctions and the removal of favourable trading conditions for Hong Kong. On that, Li said that Sino-US relations are facing new challenges.
According to him, mutual disputes will be harmful to both China and the United States. Li says that Americans should deal differently with disagreements and that China and the United States should respect each other’s interests.
Li also commented on Taiwan, which China considers part of China and does not recognize as a sovereign state.
According to the prime minister, Beijing will not tolerate any foreign interference around the island, and China is “wise and skilled enough” to manage its own affairs.