China's central government reaffirmed its long-term and unswerving adherence to the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" in Hong Kong, while calling on people in Hong Kong to oppose and resist violence and defend the rule of law.
The central government has been closely following the development of the situation in Hong Kong, according to Yang Guang, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.
Yang made the remarks regarding the ongoing protests in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) at a press conference held in Beijing on Monday.
Upholding the rule of law
In response to the escalation of violent demonstrations in Hong Kong, he said he hoped that all sectors in Hong Kong will clearly oppose violence, firmly uphold the rule of law, walk clear from the political tangle as soon as possible and focus on developing the economy and improving people's livelihood.
Noting that development is the right path for solving problems in Hong Kong, the spokesperson stressed that if the disorder persists, the entire society will have to "cover the cost."
Yang spoke of the importance of abiding by the law, and investigating and dealing with those who break it, instead of resorting to violence.
"No matter how noble they think their goals might be, they cannot express themselves in an illegal or violent manner. Violence is violence and behaving illegally is behaving illegally, the nature of that will not be changed by the pseudo-propositions they make."
The development of the situation in Hong Kong, especially the violent acts of a small number of radicals, has severely damaged Hong Kong's overall situation of prosperity and stability, challenged its rule of law and social order, threatened the safety of local residents' life and property, and crossed the bottom line of the "One Country, Two Systems," which are absolutely intolerable, said Yang.
Noting that no civilized society ruled by law can tolerate the prevalence of violence, Yang said he hopes that Hong Kong residents can see clearly the seriousness of the current situation, denounce the evil deeds and crimes committed by the radicals and stop their misdeeds damaging Hong Kong.
The rule of law is a core value which the people of Hong Kong take pride in, the foundation of Hong Kong's sound business environment, and an important cornerstone for the region to maintain its prosperity and stability, said Yang.
"We cannot just sit by and watch a small group of people recklessly trample on the rule of law," he said, noting that once the backbone of rule of law was shaken, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong would be in jeopardy.
The central government firmly supports Chief Executive Carrie Lam leading the Hong Kong SAR government in the law-based governance, supports the Hong Kong police in their strict law enforcement, supports relevant departments of the SAR government and judicial organs in punishing the violent criminals in accordance with the law, and supports the people who love both our country and Hong Kong in their action to defend the rule of law in the region, he said.
Yang said that the most important task for Hong Kong now is to firmly punish violent crimes, recover the safety of society and maintain its good rule of law.
Adherence to 'One Country, Two Systems'
Yang said since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in the region has been a widely recognized success, and the policies of "One Country, Two Systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong," and a high degree of autonomy have been faithfully implemented.
He said "One Country, Two Systems" is the best institutional arrangement for maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability in the Hong Kong SAR. The central government will continue to unswervingly implement the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" and ensure that this principle remains unchanged and is not bent or distorted in practice.
Yang said that with the full support of the central government and the mainland, and under the leadership of Lam and the Hong Kong SAR government, Hong Kong compatriots are surely able to govern, develop and manage Hong Kong well.
He expressed confidence that the ship of "One Country, Two Systems" will sail far and steady despite winds and storms.
The trigger and the process
Yang recalled the cause for proposing amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, the process leading to its suspension and the ongoing protests.
The SAR government proposed to amend its fugitive bill in March. The revision was triggered by a murder case in which a Hong Kong man, Chan Tong-kai, allegedly killed his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan and then fled back to the city. The Taiwan authorities are unable to prosecute him as the two sides have no fugitive transfer arrangements.
The proposed amendments will allow Hong Kong to surrender fugitive offenders to jurisdictions with which it does not currently have extradition arrangements on a case-by-case basis, with prior approval from the chief executive before an application is submitted to the courts.
This revision is intended to not only help deal with Chan's case, but also help to plug the loopholes in the existing legal system to jointly combat crime and demonstrate the rule of law and justice, Yang said.
Since June, there have been several large-scale demonstrations and assemblies in Hong Kong against the revision of the fugitive bill. In order to listen widely to the community and to restore calm as soon as possible, the SAR government decided to suspend the amendments on June 15 and the corresponding legislative work was completely stopped. The central government expressed support, respect and understanding for this decision.
The Hong Kong SAR police have approved and provided protection for peaceful protests in accordance with the law.
However, Yang said, the intentional violent activities by some radical protesters since June 12 went far beyond peaceful demonstrations. They surrounded the Hong Kong Legislative Council, blocked roads, attacked police with bricks, metal rods and even petrol bombs, and blocked the police headquarters, disrupting the operation of the SAR government departments. The situation is constantly deteriorating.
The protests and violent incidents have lasted for over a month in Hong Kong, severely damaging the rule of law, social order, the economy, people's livelihoods and the image of Hong Kong, Yang said.
"It is heartbreaking for those who love and care about Hong Kong."
(CGTN's Wang Hui contributed to this story.)