MACAO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has expressed strong opposition to reference relating to Macao in the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, issued lately by the U.S. Department of State.

The report ranked the Macao SAR as on the Tier 2 Watch List. The Macao SAR government security authorities said on Friday that they found such references on Macao in the report "extremely unreasonable and unacceptable."

The Macao SAR government is determined to combat the crime of human trafficking, and has been relentless in its efforts in this regard, said the Office of the Secretary for Security under the SAR government.

The SAR government, while following local laws and international standard, has given its full support to its Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee and coordinated with all sectors of the community for the protection of victims, and the formulation of preventive and combative measures, the office said.

The Macao SAR government has been combating human trafficking effectively under the supervision of the local judiciary. The decline in cases relating to human trafficking and labor exploitation recorded in recent years well demonstrates the efficient collaboration between the SAR government and local communities.

The self-styled U.S. report, nonetheless, has for years continuously ignored objective facts by giving wrong interpretations, false deductions and unreasonable speculation. This is especially seen by its ignorance on and bias against Macao SAR's related laws and independent judiciary system, and the false accusations about the efficacy of the SAR government's efforts to prevent and fight against the crimes, said the office.

The combating of crimes relating the trafficking in persons has long been a matter of consensus among the international community. The Macao SAR government has formulated relevant pieces of legislation and mechanisms for coordination and enforcement in this regard. These efforts showcase the government's resolution, along with the efforts of the community, to prevent and combat all kinds of human trafficking-related crimes, and to protect the legitimate rights of residents and visitors, according to the office.

In addition, the security authorities will step up international and regional exchange and cooperation in order to explore jointly strategies to prevent and combat any form of human trafficking and exploitation, added the office.