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Hong Kong lashes out at US Congress over China criticism

Hong Kong's government hit back yesterday at a US Congressional resolution which criticized Bei-jing's running of the city, saying foreign leaders should stay out of its affairs.

The criticism echoes an earlier angry response from China, which declared Hong Kong a domestic issue and not for foreign debate.

A Hong Kong government statement said the US resolution, which accused China of suppres-sing freedoms and interfering in the territory's legislative election, "does not reflect the actual situation in Hong Kong, which remains one of the world's freest societies.

"We hope that foreign legislatures will continue to respect the principle that Hong Kong affairs are for Hong Kong to manage," the statement said.

"The Hong Kong government will protect vigilantly the exercising of freedoms protected by the Basic Law," it said.

The government also defended China's role in the territory, saying it had allowed Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy since the 1997 handover.

The US resolution was issued on Monday, a day after the elections. The Hong Kong statement defended the polls, which had been criticized after pro-democracy candidates won almost 60 percent of the vote but only 40 percent of the council seats.

"On elections, we take great pride in our fair, open and honest elections. We will not tolerate any illegal acts that may tarnish our reputation in this respect," it said.

In response to US criticism of an April ruling by Beijing that stymied a swift transition to democracy in the territory, the government said reform was still on track: "It has never been intended ... for Hong Kong, completely on its own, to decide on its political structure. Time and again, our national leaders have expressed support for the development of democracy."
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