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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 11, 2002

Hong Kong Remains One of Asia's Freest Cities: US Govt Report

Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty remains one of Asia's freest cities, with the Hong Kong government committed to preserving Hong Kong's distinct way of life, said a U.S. government report released Thursday in Hong Kong.


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Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty remains one of Asia's freest cities, with the Hong Kong government committed to preserving Hong Kong's distinct way of life, said a U.S. government report released Thursday in Hong Kong.

The report, released by the Consulate General of the United States of America in Hong Kong, said that since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Hong Kong government has provided strong support for global anti-terrorism efforts.

The report is required under the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which calls on the State Department to produce a series of annual reports on Hong Kong after 1997. The purpose of these reports is to inform the Congress of the status of Hong Kong and its autonomy under the "one country, two systems" principle and to report on how U.S. interests with regard to Hong Kong are faring.

In the period from August 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002, Hong Kong remained a free society that extended basic civil liberties to its citizens every day, largely defined its identity in terms of being an open international city, and continued to make its own decisions in pursuit of its own identity and economic interests, the report said.

The report said in the battle against terrorism, Hong Kong government officials have pledged strong support and have taken steps to implement the United Nations anti-terror resolutions.

Hong Kong's regulatory authorities directed financial institutions to conduct searches for terrorist assets using U.S. and U.N. lists, and those institutions have found no such assets, the report said.

"Through its presidency of the multilateral Financial Action Task Force, Hong Kong also played a lead role in disrupting terrorists' financial networks," the report added.

The report reaffirmed U.S. confidence in Hong Kong's export control system, which remains "effective, autonomous and transparent". Hong Kong continued to play an important role as an international finance center, actively participating in efforts to address the threat of terrorist financing in the wake of the September 11 attack, it added.

The United States has substantial economic and political interests in Hong Kong and supports the concept of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy under Chinese sovereignty, the report said.


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