BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Jimmy Lai case is purely an internal affair of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday, urging relevant countries to refrain from making irresponsible remarks.
China urges relevant countries to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's legal system, refrain from making irresponsible remarks on the trial of cases, and avoid intervening in Hong Kong's judiciary or interfering in China's internal affairs in any way, Lin said.
The High Court of the HKSAR on Monday morning sentenced Jimmy Lai, an instigator of anti-China riots in Hong Kong, to 20 years in prison.
Calling Lai "the principal mastermind and perpetrator of a series of riots," Lin said that Lai deserves harsh legal punishment.
Lai's actions severely breached the principles and bottom line of the "one country, two systems" policy, endangered national security, and damaged Hong Kong's prosperity and stability as well as the well-being of its citizens, Lin said.
Noting that Hong Kong upholds the rule of law, he said the judiciary of the HKSAR fulfills its duties and responsibilities in accordance with the law, upholds the authority of the law and safeguards national security, which is reasonable, legitimate and beyond reproach.
He said that the central government firmly supports Hong Kong in safeguarding national security and punishing crimes that endanger national security in accordance with the law.
Practice has proved that the better the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, the more stable and secure Hong Kong society will be, the better the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents will be protected, and the farther and steadier the practice of the "one country, two systems" policy will go, the spokesperson said. ■
