HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Friday said it deplored and opposed US Consul General in Hong Kong Gregory May's biased remarks as well as slanders and smears about the HKSAR's work in safeguarding national security.

An HKSAR government spokesperson said that the US side has ignored the large-scale and incessant riots during the "color revolution" in Hong Kong that occurred in 2019, which devastated Hong Kong's society, livelihood and economy.

The U.S. ignored the fact that it is an international practice and an inherent right and responsibility for sovereign states to enact laws safeguarding national security, and it blatantly attacked the HKSAR in safeguarding national security dutifully, faithfully and in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said.

"Such positions fully exposed Washington's double standards," the spokesperson said, adding that the HKSAR government urges the United States to discern the fact that the national security law in Hong Kong has enabled the livelihood and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to resume as normal.

The spokesperson noted that the laws safeguarding national security in the HKSAR including the national security law in Hong Kong and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance are precisely for safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and the laws ensure the full and faithful implementation of the principle of "one country, two systems," under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.

Regarding the economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between Hong Kong and the United States mentioned by May at a forum recently held by a U.S. think tank, the spokesperson said that the United States enjoys significant economic benefit in Hong Kong, with more than 1,200 U.S. companies having set up businesses in Hong Kong. It also enjoyed a trade surplus of $271.5 billion with Hong Kong over the past decade, the largest among its global trading partners.

The spokesperson urged Washington to take concrete actions to stop all wrongdoings that undermine economic and trade relations between the two places, and make efforts to foster mutual benefit in various areas, including promoting economic and trade relations and cultural exchanges.

Hong Kong commands irreplaceable standing with the distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. There lies a plethora of opportunities ahead, the spokesperson said.