Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 15 – Since June, some radical activists, in the name of opposing amendment of the extradition bill, have incited a series of extremely violent activities in Hong Kong with support by some external forces. The fact indicates that what is happening in Hong Kong has gone far beyond demonstration and protest and evolved into obvious violence, severely threatening social stability and local people's safety and property in Hong Kong. We appreciate very much Cambodia’s consistent support to China on issues concerning China’s core interests. In order to let our Cambodian friends who care about Hong Kong know the truth in time, I would like to spend a few words here.
First of all, the achievements made under the “one country, two systems” principle are undeniable. Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong. Since the return of Hong Kong to China, the “one country, two systems” practice has made universally acknowledged achievements. The principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and high degree of autonomy have been faithfully implemented. Maintaining prosperity and stability, Hong Kong is universally recognized as the freest economy of the world, and its business environment and international competitiveness are widely acclaimed by the international community. Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented democratic rights and a wide range of freedom. The Rule of Law Index of Hong Kong comes out in front among major cities of the world. It has been fully demonstrated by practice that the “one country, two systems” is the best institutional arrangement for Hong Kong to maintain long-term prosperity and stability. The Central Government will continue to unswervingly implement the principle of “one country, two systems”.
Secondly, the so-called “peaceful protest” is violence, pure and simple. A small group of mobsters with ulterior motives have incited many people, ignorant of the truth, to go to the streets and create violence in the name of “peaceful protest”. They carried out violent activities, assaulted office buildings of the Legislative Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, wantonly vandalized public facilities, and illegally stored dangerous goods and offensive weapons. They attacked the police by such lethal means as throwing petrol bombs. They ambushed and beat the police up and even bit their fingers off. They also tarnished the national emblem and national flag of China. They obstructed public traffic, blocked the airport, and attacked innocent visitors and journalists. Their violent action has gravely trampled on Hong Kong's rule of law and threatened local people's life and property. It is easy to tell that the ultimate purpose of those radicals is not about the extradition bill, but to undermine the social order and prosperity of Hong Kong and to destroy the institution of “one country, two systems”. The violence has caused grave damage to the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
Thirdly, we firmly support the Hong Kong police to enforce the law strictly and impartially. The US and some other western countries are turning a blind eye to the rampant violence, yet blatantly criticizing the professional and constrained law enforcement of the Hong Kong police. I believe our Cambodian friends still remember how the US police handled the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in 2011. What I would like to emphasize here is that the Central Government has expressed its firm support for the Hong Kong SAR Government headed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to administrate in accordance with the law. We firmly support the Hong Kong police and judicial authorities to punish the violent criminals in accordance with the law. We firmly support all people who love Hong Kong in their efforts of safeguarding the rule of law and social order of Hong Kong. We believe that under the support of the Central Government, the Hong Kong SAR Government headed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will work in concert with the vast majority of people loving Hong Kong to successfully restore law and order of Hong Kong as soon as possible.
Fourthly, the violence in Hong Kong is a result of interference by external forces. Some western countries are abnormally active in what falls within China’s internal affairs. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi went so far as to call the demonstrations in Hong Kong “a beautiful sight to behold”. Some US congressmen made unwarranted comments about the law enforcement operations by the Hong Kong police. Some high-level officials of the US institution in Hong Kong met with leaders of the anti-China violent group to back up their illegal action. The ugly performance by some politicians from the US and other western countries is a valid example of interference into another country’s internal affairs. The disgraceful role played by the US in the violence in Hong Kong reminds me of the “color revolutions” in some countries in the Eastern Europe, the Central Asia and Africa. The US labels itself as the “beacon of freedom” of the world, and claims that it can resolve all world problems. As a matter of fact, it is common practice for the US to disrupt other countries’ internal affairs and overthrow their regimes in the name of “democracy” and “freedom”.
When it comes to Cambodia, some external forces have also been making irresponsible remarks on the internal affairs of this sovereign state. They are creating fake news about so-called “secret agreements” between China and Cambodia. They claim that China will establish a naval base in Koh Kong and station its troops in Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville. All of these are completely fake news with an ulterior motive. Turning a blind eye to the openness and transparency of the China-Cambodia military cooperation, they attempt to confuse the public with fake news and undermine the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Cambodia. The Chinese side stands firmly against this brutal interference into Cambodia’s internal affairs and the blatant infringement of the international law and basic principles governing international relations.
His Excellency Wang Wentian is a Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia
=FRESH NEWS
