Beijing and Hong Kong authorities in separate statements blasted a report from Human Rights Watch that accused the central government of constructing a surveillance state on the mainland and undermining the autonomy of the SAR. Geng said the Chinese people had the final say on the state of human rights in the country, which he described as “in the best period of history". Overnight on Tuesday, the head of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, accused China of carrying out “the most intense attack on the global system for enforcing human rights since that system began to emerge in the mid-20th century". Roth held a news conference at the United Nations Correspondents Association in New York after being denied entry to Hong Kong. In a statement, the Hong Kong government spokesman said the city has steadfastly upheld the Basic Law and enjoyed a high degree of autonomy.

Source: The Standard January 15, 2020 11:04 UTC