By Zhong Sheng
The passage of the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 by the U.S. Congress showed a total disregard of the ravages committed by the violent criminals in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries by using its domestic law, the U.S. has completely ignored human rights, let alone democracy.
Such outrageous act of hegemonic intervention revealed the true colors of some U.S. politicians who trample upon international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly meddle in domestic affairs of other countries.
Hong Kong is part of China. Some U.S. politicians who point fingers at Hong Kong affairs, which are totally internal affairs of China, are trying to extend U.S. hegemony with domestic law.
They have totally abandoned international morality and would be not allowed or tolerated by all members of the international community who respect international law and basic norms governing international relations.
A person without integrity cannot stand tall; a country without integrity cannot have companion. In the eyes of some U.S. politicians, political bias matters more than legal principles, and political plot always be put before generally acknowledged truth.
These politicians regard their fatuous move in Hong Kong affairs as a good card to contain and stifle China’s development, and even tore off their masks to gamble their reputations on this matter, completely ignoring the international responsibilities of the U.S. as a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and throwing aside the impassioned speech about not interfering in other countries’ international affairs made by the U.S. delegation in 1944 at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference.
In fact, international law and basic norms governing international relations are like a truth-revealing mirror. The hegemonic actions and malicious intentions of these U.S. politicians are exposed to the world as they repeatedly challenge the bottom line of universally acknowledged truth and justice, no matter what disguises or rhetoric they use.
The UN is at the core of today’s international system, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter play decisive roles in international law. Such principles enshrined in the UN Charter as the ones of sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs are widely venerated and upheld around the world.
Now it’s clear to all that some U.S. politicians, as members of the U.S. Congress, glorify violent crimes, openly act in bad faith, ignore principles of international conventions, and trifle with commitments. They have challenged the international order and brought to the world enormous risks.
As pointed out by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the U.S., the Hong Kong-related bill passed by the U.S. Congress “is detrimental for the United States, and for the world, as well as for China.”
Wantonly trampling upon international law and the international order frustrates development, causes turmoil, and undermines civilization.
Looking back at history, the U.S. has been notorious for frequently and arbitrarily interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, with many developing countries and regions being deeply afflicted.
Today, when economic globalization is gaining increasing momentum, such disgusting acts of interfering in other countries’ internal affairs harm others without benefiting oneself.
Not long after the U.S. Senate passed the bill on Hong Kong, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong made a statement to express their concerns about the issue, calling on the U.S. side to understand the basic fact that only the principle of “one country, two systems” can support Hong Kong’s free trade and connectivity and help Hong Kong maintain its “unique circumstances and its extraordinary, continuing achievements”.
Some U.S. politicians had better be sensible and do not miscalculate the situation. Chinese government has unswerving determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, implement the “one country, two systems” policy, and oppose any external force in interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs.
China will never compromise on major issues of principle that concern long-term interests of the country and the Chinese nation, nor will it allow external forces to do whatever they want about the Hong Kong question.
Any attempt or trick of the U.S. to interfere in China’s internal affairs and obstruct China’s development is doomed to failure and will be in vain.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
