Washington politicians' abuse of Hong Kong to contain China will backfire
It is safe to say 2020 has been a year of firsts in many ways, and the National Security Law implemented in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which was passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on June 30 and took effect immediately, is no doubt the most impactful of its kind concerning Hong Kong in recent memory. Since the law was promulgated expressly to thwart Washington politicians' attempts to harm China's interests by messing up Hong Kong through their local proxies, Washington's China hawks have been understandably mad about it and announced a series of sanctions and introduced laws targeting China, including the HKSAR, in the past few months. As always, such unjustifiable acts have failed to intimidate China, including Hong Kong, but hurt US interests one way or another instead.
Naturally, Washington politicians' expressions of prejudice and arrogance have been met with strong condemnation and reciprocal measures from China, in addition to the fruitful enforcement of the National Security Law in the HKSAR so far. Not surprisingly, Washington regurgitated another series of sanctions on 14 vice-chairpersons of the NPCSC last week — for fulfilling their constitutional obligation in enacting the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and got reciprocal sanctions on 14 prominent US federal government and political figures directly involved in attempts to harm China's interests.
The latest US sanctions on 14 Chinese legislators were also meant as a gesture of support for all the separatists trying to harm China's interests, whose political machinations against Beijing play into the hands of the Washington politicians hellbent on obstructing China's development. Such desperate acts proved that the enforcement of the National Security Law has achieved desirable results, which is why it has won overwhelming support from Hong Kong society, which is still suffering the ill effects from last year's months-long social unrest. Washington politicians knew soon enough such political machinations would not work against China no matter what excuse they can come up with, be it "human rights", "democracy" or independence for certain Chinese territories, but kept on repeating them at American taxpayers' expense. Now that they have been taught yet another lesson by the Chinese nation, let's hope the Washington politicians really wise up this time.
Washington has a long history of intervening in China's internal affairs. Washington and its allies have used all kinds of sanctions and embargoes on New China since the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949, after armed attempts failed to defeat the Chinese people's War of Liberation led by the Communist Party of China in the previous three years. Washington threw its weight behind the Kuomintang regime, one of the most corrupt and incompetent in the world back in the day, during that civil war. On top of those sanctions, embargoes and direct intervention, Washington also got involved in two regional wars — the Korean War, which is technically still going on, and the Vietnam War (November 1955-April 1975) — literally on China's doorstep. The nascent PRC was forced to help the two neighboring allies to the best of its abilities in those years and to defend itself against containment. The PRC emerged victorious in both cases for reasons Washington has refused to admit till this day, hence even more failures — big and small without exception.
China has every right and reason to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and other interests through every means at its disposal but especially the enhancement of rule of law, including but not limited to promulgating and enforcing a national security law in the HKSAR; and no other country or foreign government has the right to intervene with any excuse. Washington, somehow, has convinced itself of the need to beat China into submission by all means imaginable despite the failure of each and every try for decades, even when China was merely a shadow of its current shape and strength. Moreover, the PRC has prevailed over every adversity so far because the CPC enjoyed undeniable support from the Chinese people for the decisions it made when they counted the most; whereas Washington politicians were not able to sustain adequate popular support long enough to succeed in many cases and never on China.
Those who fail to learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat them, sometimes to their own detriment. However, it is one thing to know about this truth and entirely another to learn it by heart. The PRC has become what it is today because the CPC learned from its past mistakes and chose reform and opening-up as the fundamental national strategy to follow in pursuit of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After 42 years of persistent reform, China is now the second-largest economy in the world and well on its way toward an even better future.
Apparently, many Washington politicians do not believe in mutual respect or peaceful coexistence between countries of different social systems and cultures, especially when they deem other sovereign states are in their way to world domination. That is why we do not expect them to ever kick their addiction to double standards, hypocrisy and bullying. Chinese people will, however, do everything necessary to safeguard their own interests no matter who is trying to undermine and harm them. China has full jurisdiction over Hong Kong, one of its special administrative regions, a plain fact that cannot be changed or denied.
The author is a current affairs commentator.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
