Photo: Xinhua
In response to the US reaction on the Hong Kong electoral system reform adopted by China's top legislature on Thursday, a senior Chinese official on Hong Kong affairs slammed such groundless and illegitimate interference in China's internal affairs, saying no foreign country is allowed to meddle in it."Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs; no foreign country can make any irresponsible remarks," Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press conference on Friday morning. When social turmoil and rampage engulfed Hong Kong in 2019, some US politicians took pleasure in the chaotic situation by applauding it as a "beautiful sight," Zhang said, noting that when the Capitol Hill violence broke out in Washington, they referred to it as "terrorism," which showed their typical double standards.
Zhang said he does not understand how those politicians have any moral high ground in pointing fingers at Hong Kong affairs.
The comments were made after the US condemned Chinese moves on Thursday to reform Hong Kong's electoral system and forecast "difficult" talks with China's top diplomats next week, according to media reports, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "called on Beijing to uphold its international obligations and commitments and to act consistently with Hong Kong's Basic Law."
China's Constitution, which has the highest legal power in the country, is applied in Hong Kong, as one of China's special administrative regions, and the Basic Law is based on the Constitution, and the central government has the full power of authority over Hong Kong, Zhang Yong, deputy head of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said during the conference in explaining the matter from a legal aspect.
"Hong Kong's high autonomy is under the authorization of the central government," he said, noting that the central government always has the final say on Hong Kong's political system.
Existing problems with Hong Kong are not a question of democracy, but a question concerning subversion and seizing of power, on which we have no room to retreat, Zhang Xiaoming said, indicating to all the chaotic situations occurring in Hong Kong in recent years, behind which anti-China political figures colluding with foreign forces have continued making troubles and challenging the authority of the central government over this Chinese city.
We can't tolerate any anti-China rioters entering Hong Kong's governance structure, the Chinese official said in explaining the necessity and urgency of carrying out the electoral reform.
Deng Zhonghua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also asked, "can you imagine what will Hong Kong turn to be if the anti-China figures continue making troubles, seeking to grab the power of authority? Chaotic situations triggered by the 2019 anti-extradition bill protest can't be staged again," he said.
Such unshaken determination was also reflected on the overwhelming vote for adopting the electoral reform, a "must" to plug loopholes in the electoral system. Through the loopholes, those anti-China and troublemaking politicians took positions at places like LegCo and district councilors, hijacking the public opinion in fighting against the central government, and paralyzing governance in Hong Kong, the Chinese officials said.
For some senior Chinese officials who have been sanctioned by the US over Hong Kong issues, the blatant interference from foreign countries into China's internal affairs has not shaken their determination in pushing forward the legislation in safeguarding China's core interests, and they have seen the so-called sanctions as being "lighter than a feather."
"We're deeply proud of being sanctioned by the US," Zhang Xiaoming said, which fully underscored such collective determination of Chinese government and officials in refuting US government moves of blatantly meddling in Hong Kong affairs, vowing to fight back resolutely.
