Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7), together with the High Representatives of the European Union (EU), made a statement on Monday attacking the recent Hong Kong Legislative Council elections. The content of the statement was the same as the one issued by the foreign ministers of the Five Eyes alliance countries earlier that day. The G7 statement also expresses "grave concern over the erosion of democratic elements" in Hong Kong and makes a big deal out of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In addition, it adds words like "strongly reiterate our call on China." There is clearly collusion that aims to build the momentum of pressure on China. However, the effect is quite the opposite. Once again, the G7 has proved by its actions that it is one of the external forces wreaking havoc on Hong Kong.

The US is the most "proactive" member of the G7 and the Five Eyes, and the two statements on Hong Kong reveal clearly Washington's intentions. The US on Monday released the latest "Hong Kong Autonomy Act Report to Congress," claiming that it will continue to "speak out for the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong," and "hold the PRC accountable when it fails to meet its obligations." It named five Chinese officials "involved in the erosion of the obligations of China under the Joint Declaration or the Basic Law."
The G7 and the Five Eyes are nothing more than coteries in the international community that can be tight or loose as the occasions may require. They ignore the fact that they have no say in the internal affairs of other countries and regions, but often plan to mess up the world for their own interests. It can also be seen from the two statements on Hong Kong that they keep repeating the same cliché, giving no thought to the actual interests of the general public in Hong Kong and having no intention at all to make Hong Kong a better place.

There have been many important turning points in Hong Kong over the years, and the G7 has always made a statement to stir up trouble in the immediate wake of these events. The G7 said nothing during the two months of chaos and violence in Hong Kong in 2019, but it spoke out right away after the Hong Kong police took the necessary forceful actions, stating that it "calls for avoiding violence." In 2020, when the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, passed the national security law for Hong Kong, the G7 made an arrogant statement, strongly urging China to "reconsider this decision." It made some noise again when the NPC passed a decision on improving Hong Kong's electoral system in March 2021. Now that the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections have successfully ended, the G7 appeared again as if it is its routine business to shout out something useless.

As mentioned above, the G7 has revealed its true intentions. It won't stop until it has messed Hong Kong up. Hypocrisy and double standards are obvious in the so-called statements the G7 and Five Eyes alliance had issued. The US' response to the Capitol riot on January 6 is the most illustrative of this problem. When the "beautiful sight" appeared in Washington, it had no hesitation in forcibly quelling it. The two parties in the US unanimously denounced the protesters as mobs, and unarmed protesters were even shot to death. A few days ago, US President Joe Biden said in a speech that "I've spoken to over 140 heads of state since I've become president. You know what they all ask me? What about democracy in America?" Then, why has the G7 never issued a statement to criticize the failure of US democracy, and to call for "avoiding violence?" 

We also want to ask the politicians in the G7 countries: Can you allow people who have blatantly betrayed your countries to serve in the government in your countries? Can you allow foreign forces to interfere in your elections? Will public servants be permitted to collude with foreign forces, subvert the regime and split the country? And can rioters be allowed to storm your legislative organs? The answers are too obvious. 

Just as the white paper entitled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems" pointed out, "Under British colonial rule, there was no democracy in Hong Kong. After resuming the exercise of sovereignty, the Chinese government implemented the basic policy of One Country, Two Systems and established democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It has since provided constant support to the region in developing its democratic system." Improving Hong Kong's electoral system and implementing the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong" is the fundamental way to prevent others from interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs and safeguard the stability and prosperity of the HKSAR. It should be noted that Hong Kong as a special administrative region with regional voting rights has provided the world a new model for democratic exploration. When people who are opposed to China and attempt to destabilize Hong Kong are excluded from the governing team, Hong Kong will witness more vigor and vitality. An orderly society where the people are living a peaceful life and public servants are dedicated to their duty - isn't this a hard indicator of whether a society is truly democratic or not?  

The G7 was supposed to be a forum for the most industrialized Western countries to discuss how to deal with the economic crisis, but its actions have proved that its original intentions have already been long gone. In fact, the G7 has promised to do a lot of good things, but they often end up being empty promises. In 2021, the G7 made a grand promise to provide 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the world and agreed to step up actions on climate change. We should remind the G7 that the world is waiting for it to keep its promises! To say the least, if the G7 really wants to speak out on "democracy" and "human rights," it should issue a statement to condemn the US military for its horrific crimes in the Middle East.