Call for foreign consulates to not condone violence

Several Hong Kong groups advocating the independence of the special administrative region are trying to persuade the United States Congress to pass the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. I believe this is both absurd and wrong. According to the Human Freedom Index conducted by the Fraser Institute last year, Hong Kong ranked the third freest city in the world. The United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany all ranked lower than the SAR. So it is ironic that a handful of local extremists who already enjoy a great extent of freedom are seeking help from the not-as-free US. Are they really fighting for freedom and democracy for Hong Kong residents? Or are there ugly political intentions behind it?

I returned to the SAR before the handover in 1997 after having lived in the US for 30 years. At first I had the same concern as many other Hong Kong residents, questioning if the "one country, two systems" framework could actually work. In fact, in the past 22 years, the Central Government has adhered to "one country, two systems", allowing Hong Kong a high level of autonomy, and maintaining an independent judiciary system. Significant improvements have also been seen in terms of political participation and freedoms of expression and of the press.

Let us put aside political prejudices and look at the hard facts: the level of civil rights and freedoms in the SAR after the handover still rank near the top worldwide, outranking many advanced countries in the West.