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The U.S. has a long history of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. Washington takes its role as a global hegemon quite seriously and simply can't resist an opportunity to poke its long nose, especially, when it comes to the internal matters of countries that it considers as adversaries, such as Russia, Iran, or China.

Keeping with its long-held hegemonic practice, U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday decided to extend its sanctions against China for another year through its so-called "Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to HongKong," which was first declared in July 2020 under the previous Donald Trump administration. As if on cue, Hanscom Smith, the U.S. consul general in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in his farewell remarks on the same day, made groundless and hyperbolic comments mischaracterizing China's Hong Kong policy, which was fervently rejected and condemned by the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong.

Coming within days of Hong Kong celebrating the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland, the U.S. action and Smith's remarks clearly expose Washington's hegemonic thinking and farcical overreach. The so-called U.S. notice rather absurdly claims that the Hong Kong situation poses a threat to its "national security, foreign policy, and economy." Really? By what stretch of the imagination does Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China, falls within the ambit of U.S. "national emergency?"

The U.S. audacity is phenomenal. It has overstretched the concept of national security by linking Hong Kong to its "national emergency." This claim is nothing but a sheer excuse for arbitrary sanctions against Hong Kong and, without any doubt, gross interference in China's internal affairs. Washington's unilateral sanctions have no basis in international law and have zero legitimacy. No matter how it sugar-coats the sanctions, the U.S. cannot conceal its illegal nature and how it violates the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations.

The extension of U.S. sanctions also demonstrates the predominant and bipartisan view in Washington that believes Hong Kong's stability and sound governance are not in line with the American strategic goals and fundamental interests. The more stable Hong Kong is, the more anxious Washington becomes. American agents have been arrested and the grand U.S. plot to disrupt Hong Kong, and somehow get back at China, has misfired. With no more cards up its sleeve, the U.S. has resorted to the tried and tested route of sanctions. Facts, on the other hand, have conclusively shown that U.S. sanctions on China are nothing more than pieces of waste paper.

Smith, meanwhile, questioned China's Hong Kong policy and vilified the successful practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in his slanderous farewell remarks, which were not only unsavory and uncalled for but outrightly undiplomatic. The U.S. diplomat wrongfully insinuated that political and social freedoms are constrained in HKSAR and made groundless accusations of diplomats being threatened with China's national security law for Hong Kong.

Smith's condemnable claims are symptomatic of the complete bankruptcy of the U.S. strategy of "using Hong Kong to contain China." It is consistent with the U.S. policy of slandering and subverting Hong Kong and sanctioning those who act against the will of the U.S. On one hand, the U.S. professes its fondness for Hong Kong and its people, while on the other it fans and supports civil unrest and intimidates foreign investors in Hong Kong with a disparaging "business advisory."

It is important to note that over the 25 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, China has stayed committed to comprehensively and accurately implementing the principles of "One Country, Two Systems" as a fundamental guideline of governance in the SAR. The central government exercises overall jurisdiction while securing HKSAR's high degree of autonomy. It ensures that Hong Kong is administered by patriots. It is a universal political rule that a government must be in the hands of patriots. There is no country or region in the world where its people will allow unpatriotic or even treasonous forces or figures to take power. 

The legal basis of governance in HKSAR – after Hong Kong's return to the motherland on July 1, 1997 – is the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law for the HKSAR, not the Sino-British Joint Declaration, and other countries have no right to interfere in Hong Kong affairs by citing the Declaration. Since 1997, Hong Kong's economy has developed robustly, its position as a global financial, shipping, and trade center has remained stable, and its freedom, openness, and favorable business environment have ranked among the top in the world. Hong Kong's vitality as a global metropolis is admired by the world. "One Country, Two Systems" has been a thumping success.

With the implementation of the National Security Law and the successful practice of the new electoral system in the SAR in 2020, China's national security has been safeguarded, Hong Kong's society has become more stable and united, and the rule of law and justice in the city has been fully upheld. Hong Kong residents' rights and freedoms such as freedom of speech, press, and association are better protected in a more secure environment. Hong Kong is ushering in a new phase featuring greater prosperity and opening a new chapter in sound governance. 

Meanwhile, Washington's deep desire to disrupt Hong Kong and use it to curb China has been long exposed for the world to see. For the U.S., all countries that have a different system than its own are somehow "not free," all countries that don't follow its ideology are somehow "not democratic," and all countries that do not follow the global hegemon are somehow "threats to its national security." But, whether they become a thorn in the eyes of the U.S. depends on whether they can cater to Washington's interests, for example, President Biden obviously does not mind visiting a Middle East nation that he had personally wanted to make into a "pariah." 

The U.S.'s ill intentions have been laid bare, its tricks seen through, and its mask of hypocrisy torn off. It is time the U.S. stops its farcical overreach on Hong Kong and reconciles to the fact that it has absolutely no say in China's internal affairs.

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