Editor's note: The article was first published by China Plus on August 22, 2019. The article does not necessarily reflect the views of CGTN.

China on Wednesday voiced its resolute opposition to the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act that some U.S. lawmakers threatened Congress will pass, saying that by doing so, those lawmakers are interfering in China's domestic affairs and attempting to incite riots in Hong Kong.

In fact, those who lend their support to the radical rioters in Hong Kong also include high-ranking American officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and government bodies such as the CIA. Not only have they met with Hong Kong separatists in person, provided support in the form of funding, threatened to associate the Hong Kong issue with trade talks with China, but they have also made indiscreet remarks stating that they hope Hong Kong's democracy and freedom can be respected. Such criticism overflows with prejudice and arrogance.

Since June, radical rioters in Hong Kong have attacked the police, beaten a journalist and tourists, attacked the Hong Kong Legislative Council building and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, insulted the country's national flag, national emblem and Hong Kong's regional emblem, blocked public transportation services, and paralyzed the airport. Such acts have seriously trampled on the rule of law and order in Hong Kong and seriously damaged the national dignity.

The former Editor-in-Chief of German economic magazine Wirtschaftswoche Stefan Baron points out in his latest commentary that, "The U.S. is wrongly interfering in the protests in Hong Kong," and if such riots had taken place in the U.S. the rioters would have faced a crackdown long ago. The article also stated that "With almost imperial arrogance, the U.S. government is involved in the protests. Their behavior also violates the Vienna Convention."

In the Index of Economic Freedom reports issued by the American think-tank the Heritage Foundation, Hong Kong has been rated as the world's freest economy every year since its return to China in 1997. This is the most objective assessment of the result of the successful implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, the "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" principle, and a high degree of autonomy.

Washington may want to lend an ear to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who said recently that the U.S., as the world's pre-eminent power today, "has to accommodate an increasingly powerful and influential China. The U.S. needs to accept that China's rise is inevitable, and that it is neither possible nor wise to prevent it."

Restraint is not weakness, for it arises out of genuine strength. American politicians and anti-China forces should not underestimate China's determination to defend its national sovereignty, security and unity as well as its unwavering will to safeguard Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. Those who attempt to instigate chaos in Hong Kong with the aim of containing China's overall development will have to face the consequences of their own deeds.

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