A senior official in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Friday that the remarks of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR are absolutely not interference in Hong Kong affairs.

Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung said the central government empowers the HKSAR government a high degree of autonomy under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and there is no doubt that the central government has the power to express opinions.

The comments and attention by the two offices on Hong Kong are natural at levels of the Constitution, governance and practical operation, and do not constitute any interference, Cheung told a press conference.

Cheung stressed that some HKSAR lawmakers' acts of urging foreign countries to meddle in Hong Kong, including sanctions on Hong Kong officials, are actually serious interference and challenge the bottom line of "one country, two systems", thus are completely unacceptable.

The failure to elect the chairman and vice chairman of the House Committee of the Legislative Council is unprecedented and undermines the public interests, Cheung said, urging all the lawmakers to break the dilemma and push the committee back on track for the well-being of Hong Kong residents.