The government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the MSAR yesterday expressed their strong opposition to the content relating to Macau in the so-called “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” issued by the Department of State of the United States recently.
The MSAR government noted that the amendments to Macau’s Law on Safeguarding National Security have been meticulously crafted. They draw extensive references from legislative experience in other jurisdictions while fully considering Macau’s legal traditions and social realities and strictly adhering to international human rights conventions.
The continuous improvement of the electoral system in the MSAR is an inevitable requirement for implementing the “patriots governing Macau” principle and is widely accepted by Macau residents, according to a statement by the government.
The MSAR government urged the United States to respect facts and abandon its “double standards” mentality. The US should adhere to the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations, stop interfering in Macau’s internal affairs and China’s internal affairs at large, and stop using human rights issues as an excuse, said the government.
On the same day, a spokesperson for the commissioner’s office stated that though the United States claims to be a “human rights defender,” it has long become a “negative example” of ignoring and destroying human rights.
The peaceful and contented living and working of Macau residents has provided the strongest proof of the human rights situation in Macau, the spokesperson said, adding that the United States must put itself in the right position, reflect on itself, stop slandering and smearing the human rights situation in Macau, and stop interfering in Macau affairs and China’s internal affairs at large.
– Xinhua, MPD
