At a sensitive moment during the US-launched trade war, which has already wreaked havoc on the world economy, it's extremely dangerous to make Hong Kong a part of the China-US row and complicate the situation further.

A prominent US senator has warned that Hong Kong could lose its special US trade status if Beijing "intervenes directly to crack down on increasingly violent pro-democracy protests" in the city, Reuters reported. 

Hong Kong affairs are a Chinese internal matter and the US has no right to interfere. Amid trade war woes, the US should avoid crossing the red line to interfere in China's internal affairs. Hong Kong is an integral part of China. The one-China policy is the political foundation for China-US relations. Any remarks that violate it will deliver a deadly blow to bilateral ties. 

If Washington considers Hong Kong as a bargaining chip to place pressure on Beijing amid the trade war, there will be a dangerous gridlock in China-US relations.

The ongoing trade war has intensified to full pitch, focusing on not only tariffs but also areas such as technology and finance. The scope of the trade war has been expanded, but we advise the US not to touch the bottom line of China-US relations.

Some Americans are making a mistake when they define terrorist-like attacks in Hong Kong as pro-democracy protests. The situation has escalated with Molotov cocktails being thrown at police. How Beijing backs the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's government to fight against terrorist-like attacks is a Chinese internal affair. 

The US absolutely has no reason to crack down on Hong Kong's economy.

At this critical moment, Beijing is unlikely to reduce its support to the Hong Kong economy. If the US pursues unfair treatment toward Hong Kong or imposes economic sanctions, the Chinese central government has the ability to offset the losses caused by such US measures and secure economic stabilization in Hong Kong.

The US has slammed media reports on a US envoy who met radical protesters in Hong Kong, trying to curb speculation that terrorist-like attacks in the city were fueled by the West. However, fresh comments by the US senator added to the evidence that the US wants to play a role in the current situation in Hong Kong. 

The threat of withdrawing the city's special trade status suggests the US has no intention of supporting Hong Kong's economy. 

Hong Kong is known as the gateway between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world. It's the mainland that can support the economy in Hong Kong. Beijing won't abandon Hong Kong's economy no matter what may happen.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn
Newspaper headline: Beijing won’t abandon HK economy despite threats