Editor's note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs." The article does not necessarily reflect the views of CGTN.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has once again made irresponsible remarks on the Hong Kong issue. Turning a blind eye to the escalating radical violent crimes in Hong Kong that seriously trample the rule of law, the secretary said he hoped that the issue could be resolved "in a way that is nonviolent," and also made inappropriate remarks on the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. Such remarks completely confound right with wrong, lack awareness of rule of law, and go against the conscience of mankind. They further showcase some U.S. politicians' plot of pressuring and instigating chaos in China through Hong Kong affairs.
Rioters in Hong Kong have been launching attacks by beating, smashing, looting and setting fires. They attack police officers and civilians, besiege and intercept the central authorities' agencies in Hong Kong, deface the national emblem and insult the national flag, and even commit murder and arson. A series of such acts are far beyond the scope of "peaceful protest" and "free speech" claimed by Pompeo. No country under the rule of law will tolerate such acts! The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government brings the violent criminals to justice and punishes them in accordance with the law, which exactly demonstrates that the government safeguards the rule of law in Hong Kong as well as its people's human rights and freedom.
Silent on the violent crimes, Pompeo blamed HKSAR government's law enforcement actions which exercise restraint, saying he hoped that the Hong Kong issue could be resolved "in a way that is nonviolent." Why were there no politicians from Western countries calling for "nonviolent" solutions when the U.S. and European countries constantly were involved in violent conflicts with protesters including the "Occupy Wall Street" movement in the U.S., the "Yellow Vest" movement in France and the riots in London? When it comes to Hong Kong, politicians such as Pompeo have changed their attitudes immediately. This is a double standard, clumsy, inferior.
The "One Country, Two Systems" principle is the best institutional arrangement that ensures Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability after its return to the motherland. Just as some Hong Kong media say, the principle is the best advantage for Hong Kong's development, since it helps Hong Kong share the benefits of China's development. Pompeo, however, made up rumors to discredit the central authorities' legal governance over Hong Kong. Such a move violates basic international laws and norms in international relations, which will only disgrace him.
Some Western media have also changed their tune by reporting the violent crimes in Hong Kong using words like "ugly, rumor and terror." U.S. media Bloomberg has also issued a report noting that protesters are demonizing the police and the government with rumors and instigating hatred towards the police and stoking division in Hong Kong. Pompeo's remarks exactly prove what he has done as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as he said "we lie, we cheat, we steal…"
These remarks also further prove that the anti-China forces in the U.S. cannot escape responsibility for the escalating violence in Hong Kong. It is a fact that the National Endowment for Democracy keeps financing Hong Kong separatists. U.S. politicians, including Pompeo, have met with anti-China rabble-rousers in Hong Kong several times, and some anti-China members of the U.S. Congress keep pushing for the passing of a bill related to Hong Kong. The motives of some individuals in the U.S. who are trying to conduct a "color revolution" in Hong Kong and bring peril into the Chinese mainland to instigate chaos in China are abundantly clear.
However, these buffoons will get nowhere. Any act as a cat's paw will eventually end up in failure, and be cast aside by the Chinese people as well as people with a conscience around the world.
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