Violence in Hong Kong continues to disrupt the city and affect the daily lives of millions as a radical minority engages in a standoff with the police. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate passed the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act," which is condemned by China as an attempt to meddle in its internal affairs.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and Beijing voiced their strong condemnation for Washington's public support for violent rioters, who have seriously destroyed peace and stability of Hong Kong.
Andy Mok, Senior Research Fellow with the Center for China and Globalization, pointed out that the bill passed by the U.S. Senate is not contributing to improving China-U.S. relations at all.
He blamed the U.S. government for misguiding the public, noting that the U.S. has used the alleged "human rights" violations as a way to interfere in the affairs of many countries, not just China.
He Jing, an attorney at Anjie Law Firm, agreed with Andy Mok and said that the U.S. has acted several times in the name of human rights protection and democracy to solve the geopolitical issues.
He also stated that a well-grounded sovereignty is actually the prerequisite to protect human rights.
Regarding the latest situation in Hong Kong, Dr. Edward Tse, founder and CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Company, held that the prolonged unrest has mainly split Hong Kong into two camps, the "pro-democracy camp" and the "pro-establishment camp."
Therefore, the U.S. legislation on Hong Kong has been received differently depending on which side or camp people stand for.
In addition, Dr. Edward Tse pointed out that people's view about the Hong Kong issue is mostly shaped by media coverage. As the level of violence in Hong Kong escalated, Western media finally changed their stance on the reports of the Hong Kong police force.
Based on his observation, Tse indicated that the Hong Kong police force has handled the condition quite well, and it is necessary to use reasonable degree of force to stabilize the situation, especially when violence is on the rise.
"Lots of situations are actually quite dangerous," said Tse. "I would say, personally, that in general the Hong Kong police have performed superbly."
Dialogue with Yang Rui is a prime time daily English talk show on CGTN. The 30-minute talk show covers a wide range of domestic and international topics, providing a balanced and critical perspective on current affairs and analysis within the framework of cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary comparisons.
Schedule: Monday-Sunday
Time (GMT): 0330, 1130, 1930
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)