The local government has accused the United States of "brutal interference in the internal affairs" of Macau.
The government said in a strongly-worded English-language statement early today that the 2020 Annual Report by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) of the 116th Congress of the US "is ignoring the facts."
The statement released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) says that "the US fails in terms of its own governance, yet attempts brutal interference in the internal affairs of Macau.
"The practice of such double standards is ludicrous and repulsive."
According to the statement, the government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) "expresses its strong opposition" to the report's claims.
The statement underlined that since its return to the motherland 21 years ago, the MSAR "has achieved remarkable success in a variety areas, including its response to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic," adding that "such achievements are evidence of the successful implementation of the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems' with Macau's own characteristics, a principle that has gained wide recognition and respect within the international community."
The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China report claims, among other things, that a number of "business representatives, journalists and activists" were denied entry by Macau border officials ahead of a working visit of President Xi Jinping to the MSAR in December 2019.
