China’s U. S. ambassador says the central government has primary and ultimate responsibility for upholding national security in the city.
I am a big fan of Hong Kong. The city presents a unique contrast between historical richness and vivacious modernity, with its classic trams roaming the streets and noisy, bustling restaurants. It is a romantic fusion of the East and the West.
To our regret, such romance is evaporating. In recent months, we have seen terrible scenes there. Mobs attacked the police with iron rods, and stockpiled bricks and Molotov cocktails. They detained passengers at the airport and even set an innocent old man on fire. Government buildings were stormed and vandalized. Shops were closed and streets were wrecked by arson attacks.
Taking advantage of the absence of a national security law in Hong Kong, protesters have time and again instigated violence and clamored for Hong Kong’s “independence,” crossing a red line for the central government. At the same time, external forces have increasingly interfered in Hong Kong affairs without scruple. Because of this, Hong Kong is in disarray. China’s national security is at risk.
That is why the central government has chosen to act. According to Article 23 of the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is authorized to enact laws on its own to safeguard national security. But such laws have been delayed for 23 years, since Hong Kong’s return to China, because the opposition has tried in every way possible to strangle them.
