A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic spoke out about the Czech Foreign Ministry’s Hong Kong-related statement, according to the embassy’s website on Nov. 17. The full text of the statement reads as follows.
On 16 November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic issued a Hong Kong-related statement in which it vainly accused China of grossly interfering in the affairs of Hong Kong and China’s internal affairs through the adoption of the Decision on the Qualification of Members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the disqualification of four members of the Council, which China strongly resents and resolutely opposes.
The system of swearing allegiance to the State by public officials is a common international practice. Article 23 of the Czech Constitution clearly stipulates that the deputies and senators of the Czech Parliament take an oath of allegiance to the Czech Republic and swear to uphold the Constitution and laws of the Czech Republic. No other country, including the Czech Republic, turns a blind eye to acts of betrayal against the State by public officials, including members of parliament, in violation of their oath of allegiance.
The decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China was made in accordance with the Constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, and is a necessary requirement for upholding and improving the system of “one country, two systems”, implementing the relevant provisions of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, as well as safeguarding the rule of law in Hong Kong and the constitutional order of the Special Administrative Region. It is also necessary to uphold the rule of law and the constitutional order of the HKSAR. The relevant decision is targeted at Legislative Council Members who do not meet the statutory requirements and conditions of upholding the Basic Law of the HKSAR and pledging allegiance to the HKSAR, and there is no question of undermining the high degree of autonomy and freedom of the HKSAR. We firmly support the HKSAR Government in discharging its duties in accordance with the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
As Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China, the issue of eligibility for membership in the Legislative Council of the HKSAR is purely an internal affair of China, and no external force has the right to interfere. China urges the Czech side to abide by the basic norms of international law and international relations, respect the principle of the rule of law, reject double standards and not to interfere in any way in China’s internal affairs, including those of Hong Kong.
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