On Wednesday, Hong Kong opposition groups once again incited some of their supporters to besiege the Legislative Council, forcing the postponement of the second reading of the amendments to the extradition bill. Some demonstrators even resorted to violent means, throwing bricks, bottles and umbrellas at police.
Since the large-scale protests erupted on Sunday, the situation in the city has intensified, disturbing order in Hong Kong and hammering the reputation of the city. Hong Kong police were forced to fire teargas at demonstrators to stop the chaos, which shows their restraint as well as resolve. They displayed their overall sense of responsibility for the safety of all residents in the city. Hong Kong cannot descend into chaos, and needs the rule of law to function forcefully, which is where the common interests of all Hong Kong people lie.
Reports of what happened in Hong Kong on Wednesday in Western media cast a tone of schadenfreude that maliciously bad-mouthed Hong Kong. An opinion piece on CNN reads, "Does the extradition law really spell the death of Hong Kong?" This conveys such malice from afar.
These normal amendments to the extradition bill have been highly politicized, which the most radical opposition forces are taking advantage of, as are the Western forces behind them. They are engaged in extreme political confrontation regardless of morality and justice. They are fooling the Hong Kong people and treat them as cannon fodder to exploit influence, poisoning the social environment that the welfare of Hong Kong people rests on.
Shouting "oppose extradition to China," these forces are confronting the government of Hong Kong, but then they use the slogan to create fear of the mainland and the central government to cut off ties between Hong Kong and the motherland. The amendments target internationally recognized criminal felons, but opposition forces hype that everyone in Hong Kong could be "extradited to China." Such a brutal interpretation, once spread in this chaotic context, will make those demonstrators lose all rationality.
We ask that the living space of Hong Kong people is not destroyed. Hong Kong is a developed society ruled by law. Political games by opposition parties should be well within the limit of the Basic Law. Playing with uncontrolled street politics is to push Hong Kong to backwardness and disturbance. This is not a wise direction for Hong Kong.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen have cheered the demonstrations in Hong Kong. People like them hope Hong Kong can become a wedge with which they can confront the Chinese mainland. Does Hong Kong's prosperity and welfare have anything to do with them?
Hong Kong has signed mutual extradition agreements with 20 jurisdictions. As there are more and more interactions between Hong Kong and the mainland, having such an agreement with the mainland is reasonable. Some people in Hong Kong worry about the risks resulting from the different judicial systems between the mainland and Hong Kong, but the rule of law in the mainland has been progressing and politicizing it is the common trick played by external forces.
Radical opposition groups in Hong Kong are colluding with hostile forces out of their own political motivations. Hong Kong residents should avoid being cheated, misled and exploited by them. Time will tell where the interests of Hong Kong people lie and who is really doing good for Hong Kong.
