Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam accused foreign governments on Tuesday of "double standards" in their reaction to Beijing's plans to impose national security laws on the city, pointing to anti-police brutality protests in the United States.
Ryan Brooks reports.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has fired back at foreign governments critical of China's plans to impose a national security law in the city.
Tuesday (June 2)'s press conference was Lam's first public appearance since Washington announced it would remove Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law.
She pointed to protests against police brutality across the United States over recent days.
" They are highly concerned about their own national security, but when it comes to our national security, especially the situation in Hong Kong, they look through tinted glasses.
People can see this double standard very clearly when looking at how riots were handled in the US by the local authorities, and how it compares to the stance they took when almost the same kind of riots took place in Hong Kong last year." Chinese authorities introduced the security law last month after large-scale and often-violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last year.
The law tackles secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong--and could also see Chinese intelligence agencies set up shop in the financial hub.
On Tuesday, Lam emphasized the need for national security in the city.
"The threat to national security in Hong Kong is constantly rising.
We can look back over this past year and see that Hong Kong has undergone every kind of riot, which has been widely reported." Thousands of protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong last month to protest the new security law.
Authorities from both Hong Kong and Bejiing have repeatedly insisted rights and freedoms will still be preserved under the law.
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