Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Thursday she hoped that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will give "a fair hearing" on the national security law for the HKSAR.

"As far as we're concerned, yes, we're going through a very tough period where Hong Kong is often put on the global radar screen," Lam said in an interview with CNBC as she acknowledged that certain laws passed by the U.S. Congress "do affect Hong Kong's business and individuals – of course, including myself."

However, Lam said that she hoped that the new U.S. administration could "give us a fair hearing as far as the national security law is concerned."

Lam said that she didn't think the HKSAR is a major point of contention in China-U.S. relations - it's just that the U.S. sometimes used the HKSAR as a "pawn" in negotiations with China.

China's top legislature unanimously adopted the new law on safeguarding national security in HKSAR last year. It went into effect on June 30. 

With 66 articles in six chapters, the law defines four categories of offenses – endangering national security, secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security – and their corresponding penalties, the highest being life imprisonment.

Following the passage of the law, the U.S. threatened and then ended the special status given to Hong Kong, meaning it will no longer be entitled to enjoy most-favored-nation treatment (such as lower trade tariffs) and a separate customs territory status in its dealings with the U.S. under the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992.

"We always love to have what we used to have," the HKSAR chief executive said. "What we used to have, actually, should be with us but unfortunately on this front, the signal is not very positive."

She stressed that the HKSAR government will continue to pursue their "legitimate interests" and hoped that the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other members of the international trade organization will support it. 

(Cover: Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam speaks at a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, July 7, 2020. /Xinhua)