MACAO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The government of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Thursday expressed its strong opposition regarding the references to Macao in a U.S. human rights report.

File photo: CGTN

Regarding the so-called 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the U.S. State Department, the Macao SAR government said in a statement that the reports make baseless claims about Macao, and such claims are the product of political bias and arrogance.

Since its establishment in 1999, the Macao SAR has been strictly adhering to the principles of "one country, two systems," "Macao people governing Macao" and the application of a high degree of autonomy, it said, adding the successful implementation of these principles has been widely recognized by the international community and agencies.

The rights and freedoms of Macao residents are fully protected under the Constitution of China and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, it said.

"Foreign countries have no right to interfere in China's domestic affairs and should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of Macao," said the statement.