US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday accused China of undermining the independence of Hong Kong’s courts, as the US Department of State released a report condemning Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in the territory.

The US has previously focused on criticizing China for suppressing free speech, targeting journalists and civil society groups and denying Hong Kongers the right to freely select their leader.

However, Blinken’s comments underscored growing criticism that the legal system that helped make the territory a hub for multinational firms has been harmed by efforts to quash a democracy movement that led to massive protests in 2019.

Photo: Reuters

“The People’s Republic of China continues to erode Hong Kong’s judicial independence and the rule of law,” Blinken said in a statement. “This past year, PRC and Hong Kong authorities have further criminalized dissent, undermining the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people in Hong Kong and dismantling the city’s promised autonomy.”

Blinken’s comments accompanied an annual state department report that detailed how Hong Kong authorities continued to wield the National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020 to erode the rule of law.

Officials have continued to “arrest and prosecute people for peaceful political expression critical of the local and central governments, including for posting and forwarding social media posts,” the report said.

In a lengthy response, a Hong Kong government spokesman said the territory “strongly disapproved of and firmly rejected the unfounded and fact-twisting remarks and also the smears” in the report.

The Hong Kong government “faces a real challenge as it tries to pivot away from the events of 2019 and 2020, and to refocus international attention on Hong Kong’s longtime role as a business hub,” said Thomas Kellogg, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Asian Law.

“It will be hard for the Hong Kong government to convince the international community that the changes wrought by the NSL — and the damage done to judicial independence — will have no effect on the business environment,” Kellogg said, referring to the National Security Law.

“After all, several key NSL provisions require private businesses to provide evidence in NSL cases, which would be a reputational nightmare for any Western business that found itself on the receiving end of such an inquiry from the Hong Kong police,” he said.