US congressmen distorted truth on HK

A SPOKESPERSON for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region denounced some US congressmen for making groundless accusations against the Central and the SAR governments, and urged them to make a clean break from the violent extremists.

It is reported that US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and some others claimed that “Beijing tries to encroach on their [Hong Kong people’s] autonomy and freedom” and that “any violent crackdown would be completely unacceptable.” The spokesperson of the commissioner’s office replied that the remarks have distorted the truth and made groundless accusations against the Central and the SAR governments, sending out a gravely wrong signal to the violent extremists. China deplores and firmly opposes such allegations, reads a statement on the office website.

A handful of radical protesters in Hong Kong have ramped up extremist and violent actions, and kept assaulting the police in a highly dangerous and brutal manner. Such acts have grossly trampled upon the rule of law and social order of Hong Kong, posed a grave threat to the security of the citizens, seriously challenged Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability and tested the red line of “one country, two systems,” said the spokesperson.

While showing no mercy towards those who assault police at home, the US selectively turns a blind eye when it comes to Hong Kong, painting instead the Hong Kong police’s efforts to enforce law in a civilized manner despite malicious attacks and humiliation as a “crackdown” on peaceful protests. It only fully reveals the entrenched prejudice, hypocrisy, indifference, selfishness and hegemonic thinking of some American politicians, the spokesperson added.

Since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland 22 years ago, the principle of “one country, two systems,” “the people of Hong Kong governing Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy in the SAR have been faithfully implemented. Our Hong Kong compatriots are now their own masters with unprecedented rights and freedoms in accordance with law. Hong Kong ranked the 16th for its rule of law in 2018 — higher than that of the US — while it ranked below 60th in 1996. These are solid facts which cannot be easily denied by American politicians, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson emphasized that Hong Kong’s affairs are China’s domestic affairs.

(Xinhua)