By Gang Aoping
On April 21, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against certain U.S. lawmakers, officials, and NGO leaders who have acted egregiously on matters related to Hong Kong. This is a firm and resolute countermeasure—a powerful response to the malicious acts of the United States.
In recent times, under the guise of "protecting the rule of law, democracy, freedom, and human rights," the U.S. has intensified its smear campaign against Hong Kong and exerted continuous pressure to undermine the region's development. First, it fabricated the so-called 2025 Hong Kong Policy Act Report, distorting Hong Kong's legal and democratic status. Then it imposed so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on Hong Kong—despite the city's long-standing zero-tariff policy—and pushed forward legislation to revoke the privileges of Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Offices in the U.S., even calling for their closure. These acts once again expose Washington's bullying nature and its sinister agenda to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China. They have provoked widespread outrage among the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, and have further revealed the U.S.'s shameless hypocrisy and flailing desperation. Ultimately, these actions will only bring disgrace upon themselves and backfire.
The U.S. accusations against Hong Kong's rule of law, democracy, freedom, and human rights are nothing but a classic case of projection and hypocrisy. Today's Hong Kong has moved from chaos to stability and is now on a path of prosperity. The constitutional order under the Basic Law and the Constitution is functioning well. The legal system, including common law, remains intact and continuously develops. National security mechanisms are improving. Judges at all levels are handling cases strictly in accordance with the law. Hong Kong's rule of law continues to be internationally recognized. Residents enjoy broader rights and freedoms than ever before in history. Elections are conducted fairly and openly under the law, and the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" has been fully implemented. The city is now safer, freer, more open, and more predictable for global business.
The United States cannot bear to see Hong Kong succeed. Washington has wantonly vilified the National Security Law and Article 23 legislation, blatantly interfered in judicial independence by calling for sanctions on judges and demanded the "unconditional release" of individuals already convicted or on trial—effectively becoming the biggest saboteur of Hong Kong's rule of law. It is the United States that has long harbored and manipulated anti-China forces in Hong Kong, encouraging them to challenge the bottom line of "One Country, Two Systems," obstruct lawful governance and infringe on the democratic rights of Hong Kong residents. It is the United States that orchestrated the 2019 unrest, fueling separatism, violence, and destruction—serving as the invisible hand behind a Hong Kong-style "color revolution."
A Few Questions for the U.S. Government and Politicians:
As the world's most lawless and authoritarian actors, what right do you have to speak of the rule of law?
In the U.S., judicial independence is a farce—judges are appointed through partisan power plays. Former presidents issue last-minute pardons to shield their families. Key evidence in high-profile sex abuse cases involving elites mysteriously vanishes. What justice is there? The U.S. frequently imposes extraterritorial sanctions, weaponizes tariffs, and openly declares intentions to seize other nations' territories—from Greenland to the Panama Canal—violating international law and promoting "legal terrorism." To Washington, the "rule of law" is nothing more than a fig leaf for hegemony.
As champions of oligarchy and money politics, what right do you have to speak of democracy?
In the U.S., gerrymandering and voting restrictions disenfranchise minorities, the poor, and the young. The 2020 election ended in a deadly Capitol riot. The 2022 midterms cost a record $17 billion, turning elections into cash contests. Abroad, the U.S. pushes the "New Monroe Doctrine" in Latin America and foments "color revolutions" across Eurasia, leaving failed "democratic transformations" in ruins. The so-called "American democracy" is the world's greatest source of instability.
As privacy invaders and manipulators of public opinion, what right do you have to speak of freedom?
The U.S. runs mass surveillance programs like PRISM, censors platforms like TikTok against users' will, and pressures social media platforms to delete hundreds of thousands of accounts and anti-war posts. It modifies press rules to suppress dissenting voices, criminalizes journalists, violently cracks down on peaceful protests, detains anti-war students, persecutes Chinese scientists, and expels immigrants under wartime laws. The so-called "beacon of freedom" has long gone dark.
As perpetrators of global atrocities, what right do you have to speak of human rights?
In 2024 alone, over 16,100 innocent civilians in the U.S. died from gun violence. The desperate cry "I can't breathe" from George Floyd still echoes. Detainees in Guantanamo Bay have been held without trial for over 20 years. U.S. military actions over the past two decades have left more than 900,000 dead and millions displaced—acts denounced as war crimes and crimes against humanity. With blood on your hands, how dare you wear the mask of a "human rights defender"?
We solemnly warn U.S. politicians: your plot to destabilize Hong Kong and contain China will never succeed. The Chinese government's determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests is unwavering—so is its commitment to fully implementing "One Country, Two Systems" and opposing all forms of foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs. The Chinese people are not intimidated by coercion. The more hostile the U.S. becomes, the more united and resolved the Chinese people—including Hong Kong compatriots—will be in defending national security and ensuring prosperity and stability. The schemes to destabilize Hong Kong and suppress China are doomed to fail. The death knell of hegemonism is ringing louder by the day.
(Source: Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of CPC Central Committee)
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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