By Chinese Ambassador LIU Quan
Hong Kong is one of the freest places in the world, but it does not mean that someone can do whatever they want in Hong Kong. Any opinions and dissatisfaction with the government should be expressed through legal and reasonable channels. Violence that seriously violates the law will not be allowed by any country. In this regard, the Chinese Central Government has three main positions:
prosperous and stable and is recognized as the world’s freest economy. Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented democratic rights and widespread freedoms that are rare in the world. Hong Kong’s rule of law ranks among the best in the world. However, in the recent demonstrations and violent activities, some people advocated “Hong Kong independence”, unscrupulously insulting the national flag, and seriously challenging the bottom line of the “One country, Two systems” principle. It needs to emphasize that no country can tolerate that. “One country, Two systems” is the best institutional arrangement to maintain Hong Kong’s longterm prosperity and stability. The Chinese Central Government will continue to unswervingly implement the “One country, Two systems” policy and safeguard Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. the Sino-British Joint Declaration is to confirm that China resumed her sovereignty over Hong Kong, and Hong Kong returned to the embrace of her motherland in 1997. With the return of Hong Kong, the Chinese Central Government governs Hong Kong in accordance with the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR. According to the international laws and basic norms governing international relations, no country or organization has the right to intervene in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of Sino-British Joint Declaration.
In the end, I want to say that no one cares more about Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability than the Chinese people including Hong Kong residents. I have been to Hong Kong many times. It is a beautiful, prosperous and lovely internationalized metropolitan. 65 million tourists visited Hong Kong in 2018, including some Surinamese. China is a big country with a population of 1.4 billion. China’s own affairs will be surely handled well by China. We have enough methods and powerful strength to defend our national sovereignty, security and unity, uphold Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.