Persistent riots in Hong Kong unacceptable By Global Times

Source:Global Times – Xinhua Published: 2019/8/7 23:08:18 4

US Senator Tom Cotton released a statement Tuesday warning Beijing against launching “a violent crackdown” on protesters in Hong Kong. He urged the US government to prepare sanctions against China. Other US lawmakers expressed a similar view.

Before Cotton’s statement, Beijing has never said it would resort to force to quell riots in Hong Kong. Instead, it has been offering support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and police, and backing them to take resolute measures to safeguard the city’s rule of law. When asked by media about whether the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s Hong Kong garrison would intervene in Hong Kong, almost all officials in Beijing referred to the Basic Law provisions that regulate the duties and responsibilities of the garrison. 

Why do US lawmakers and Western media care so much about actions of the PLA troops stationed in Hong Kong? That’s because even they believe radical protesters in Hong Kong have gone too far. With the protests becoming increasingly violent, they are no longer peaceful expressions of demands, but have undermined the rule of law and basic order in Hong Kong, seriously affecting the HKSAR government’s governance. No society would accept such riots to last. 

US lawmakers must know that if the same violent demonstrations occur in the US and police officers are violently attacked, the US National Guard would have already taken action.

However, they never warned or criticized the violent protesters in Hong Kong. The US House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday praised the radical protesters, saying they “are sending a stirring message to the world.” It’s obvious that they are inciting violence in Hong Kong, paying no attention to the disorder caused by violence and the harm it has brought to the rights of Hong Kong citizens. 

Due to the “one country, two systems” policy, Washington has many ways to exert influence on Hong Kong society. The West has created such an illusion that the Hong Kong protest is a just cause. Even violent activities are not as illegal and politically incorrect as those in Western societies. Their warnings against Beijing are intended to further incite radical demonstrators.

Hong Kong protests have become severely irrational. To keep the irrationality going, it is necessary to continue fueling it with illusion. US lawmakers, media and government officials took turns to speak on Hong Kong affairs, instigating radical demonstrators. Isn’t that the “black hand” of external forces intervening in the Hong Kong situation? 

The US has been plagued with domestic woes in recent years. In just one weekend in August, two serious mass shootings in the US killed dozens of people, injuring more. This is a huge human rights catastrophe. The demonstration in Hong Kong has lasted two months, but no one was killed. By whatever criteria, the human rights situation in Hong Kong is better than that of the US. The US is distorting the truth with its discourse power. 

Hong Kong citizens mustn’t be fooled by the US and other Western countries. Hong Kong is home to 7 million people. Long-term turmoil will ruin their lives. People must support the Hong Kong SAR government and police to restore order, and not be misguided by people like Nancy Pelosi.

If the situation in Hong Kong further deteriorates, the central government won’t turn a blind eye to the turmoil that the HKSAR government cannot handle. According to the Basic Law, the central government has sufficient measures and strength to quickly quell any potential chaos.

We hope the central government wouldn’t need to intervene. We wish Hongkongers could stand together with the HKSAR government to defend Hong Kong’s order, which is a basic aspect of HKSAR’s high degree of autonomy. When the silent majority stands up and helps fight the riots, the turmoil in Hong Kong will finally be overcome.