Violence is not freedom of expression, rioting is not pursuit of democracy

Riding on the extradition legislation controversy, insurrectionists in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and their external allies are mounting an all-out campaign to advance their political objectives.

But their illusions will be shattered sooner than they can imagine. The SAR government under the leadership of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will eventually overcome the challenges Hong Kong now faces. Her administration has the full backing of the central government in its fight against the violence and all illegal acts that undermine the SAR's rule of law and challenge the "one country, two systems" principle, as Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office spokesperson Yang Guang reaffirmed on Tuesday.

At the agency's second news briefing on Hong Kong's situation in two weeks, the top national agency in charge of Hong Kong and Macao affairs once again made it crystal clear that the central authorities will not tolerate any violation of the bottom line of one country.