Chief Executive Carrie Lam has slammed the United States for applying "double standards" regarding national security flagging the current unrest in America and contrasting it with how the US had sharply criticised police crackdowns on anti-government protests in Hong Kong last year.
She also pointed out that Trump administration had attacked the Beijing-drafted national security law, South China Morning Post reported.
"For some countries that have had a high-profile response and claimed they will take action, I can only describe them as upholding double standards," Lam said, speaking to China Media Group (CMG) ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday morning.
"They value very much their own national security, but are biased in viewing ours," she added.
Lam said that the "double standards" were widely known, noting: "There are riots in the United States and we see how local governments reacted. And then in Hong Kong, when we had similar riots, we saw what position they adopted."
Lam's remarks came on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his government would move to eliminate special policy exemptions granted to the city, vowed to end violent protests across the country sparked by the death of a black man in police custody.
The move has sparked concerns over human rights and the city's long-standing freedoms, and raised questions as to how a law drafted by the mainland can be smoothly adopted to Hong Kong's common law system.
Lam again pointed to foreign pressure in reiterating the need for Beijing to safeguard national security.
She said the Hong Kong government fully supports the central government's decision to institute national security laws for the city.
It hurts to see what happened last year in the Asian financial hub, Lam said, adding she's confident that the decision will help plug loopholes in the city and safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.
As she is scheduled to visit Beijing on Wednesday to discuss the national security laws, Lam said she has great expectations from the central government.
( With inputs from ANI )