By ChangFeng (Peoples Daily Online)15:51, June 28, 2020
On June 25, the U.S. Senate passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, attempting to hinder Hong Kong’s legislation on safeguarding national security through imposing sanctions.
The passage of the act is a blatant interference in Chinas internal affairs and a serious violation of international conventions and norms governing international relations, exposing the double standards and hegemonic logic of Washington. The trick will yield no success.
Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs, and no external interference shall be tolerated. The Hong Kong citizens and the central government are in the best position to judge whether the city enjoys a high degree of autonomy, while following the “one country, two systems” principle.
The U.S., signing numerous laws to safeguard its own national security, has been stigmatizing China for plugging its national security loopholes. The sanctions by the U.S. are extremely insolent, unreasonable and shameless, revealing the intentions of some American politicians to hinder China’s development through destroying Hong Kong.
Some American politicians have acted as the masterminds behind the scenes, escalating violence in Hong Kong after turbulence ensued over the proposed anti-extradition bill last June.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of Hong Kong riots and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, leader of a Hong Kong political group advocating independence. The National Endowment for Democracy of the U.S. fueled protests in Hong Kong, and the U.S. media distorted their reporting on Hong Kong, creating rumors.
The U.S. claimed in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2019 that no terrorist incidents were reported in Hong Kong that year. However, it called the nationwide racial riots on its own territory terrorism.
From supporting violent protesters in Hong Kong, to shamelessly using its domestic laws to interfere in China’s internal affairs, the U.S. organized and planned its moves.
Calling Hong Kong a “bastion of freedom”, the U.S. has been attempting to replace the political system of the Chinese mainland with the “Hong Kong model”. Their intentions are not based on letting Hong Kong enjoy “self-rule”, stability and prosperity, but to obstruct China’s development by destabilizing Hong Kong.
These despicable acts are doomed to fail. The people of Hong Kong have already seen the true colors of the U.S. for a long time. A Hong Kong organization, the United Front Supporting National Security Legislation, has recently launched an online petition signed by over 1 million people in protest of external interference.
In front of public opinion, people who try to use the “Hong Kong card to suppress Chinese development will never succeed.
The United States has 85,000 citizens, over 1,300 companies, nearly 300 regional headquarters and more than 400 regional offices in Hong Kong. Almost all major U.S. financial companies operate in Hong Kong. The U.S. trade surplus with Hong Kong has accumulated to 297 billion U.S. dollars in the past decade, ranking first among U.S. global trading partners.
U.S. trade and finance are the first to suffer once the country imposes sanctions. At a time when COVID-19 is widespread in the U.S., with the economy shrinking in response, it is unwise to impose sanctions on China, a move which only leads to a lose-lose situation.
Hong Kong’s unique status is given by the Basic Law, and it will not be changed by the U.S. sanctions. The prosperity and stability of Hong Kong comes from the hard work of generations of Hong Kong citizens, as well as the strong support from the central government. The U.S. sanctions cannot affect these “fundamentals”.
Only by plugging the security loopholes with national security legislation, rooting out violence, punishing those clamoring for “Hong Kong independence” and advocating “mutual destruction”, improving the business environment and enhancing investor confidence, can Hong Kong withstand any storm and further consolidate its status as an international financial, trade and shipping center.
China is firmly determined to promote the national security legislation for HKSAR, and upholds law and order in Hong Kong. The U.S. should know that its baton of sanctions will not scare Hong Kong and will not bring China down.
