On May 28, the third Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, passed a decision on Hong Kong national security legislation with an overwhelming majority of votes. It is a manifestation to exercise and safeguard national sovereignty at the national level through establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It is also in accordance with international law and international common practices.

However, the Western politicians, led by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, try to pick faults in various ways, falsely accusing that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy would cease to exist due to the move by the Chinese government and threatening to impose so-called sanctions on China.

The opposition from Pompeo and his supporters is a deliberate distortion of the "one country, two systems" principle. Even worse, the move has constituted blatant intervention in China's internal affairs. It is a brutal violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations, fully exposing the double standards and robber’s logic of the US.

Hong Kong belongs to China, Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs, and the US has no right to criticize or interfere. The legislation time, manner, or enactment in HKSAR are entirely the matters within China’s sovereignty. Pompeo and his supporters jumping to feet and criticizing China for the legislation are markedly not out of fairness. They are confusing right with wrong and echoing with the anti-China rabble-rousers in Hong Kong, just to find excuses for interfering in China’s internal affairs with the Hong Kong issue.

Some Western politicians have deep-rooted Cold War mentality and zero-sum thinking. They could resort to every conceivable means to contain China. Since the turbulence over proposed legislative amendments last June, thugs have arbitrarily blocked roads and set fires, hyped up "Hong Kong independence" and "self-determination", and opposition politicians have collaborated with foreign forces to intervene in Hong Kong affairs, threatening national sovereignty and security and harming Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

Under such circumstances, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress formulated relevant laws in accordance with the Constitution, the Basic Law of the HKASR and relevant decisions, which is bound to promote the HKSAR to better fulfill its responsibilities in safeguarding national security, and conducive to maintaining long-term stability of Hong Kong and the residents’ well-being. China’s move is surely not violating the "one country, two systems" principle or depriving the HKSAR of the high degree of autonomy; instead, it is a way to firmly uphold the "one country, two systems" principle and ensure the principle to move in the right direction.

However, Pompeo and his supporters have simply ignored these facts and reasonable measures, joyfully thinking that they have found a good opportunity to play the Hong Kong card again.

Some devious Western politicians seem to be very sophisticated. Playing Hong Kong card can realize their true intention of curbing China's development by spreading panic and hatred; it can also shift the attention of the outside by slander and buck-passing.

At present, the measures taken by the US are not working well in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at home, and it is trapped in the sluggish economy and social turmoil; on the other hand, the US withdraws from multiple organizations around the world without proper reasons, and interferes in other countries' internal affairs, poorly recognized in international public opinion.

In the face of both internal and external pressures, the US seeks to divert people’s attention by blaming others, still a brilliant move in the eyes of some “political actuaries”. However, whether the foundation or reason is sufficient or good is not a matter of consideration for the US now.

Pompeo and his supporters surely know that the governance of the HKSAR by the Chinese government is in accordance with the Chinese Constitution and the Hong Kong Basic Law, instead of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. With Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, the UK's rights and obligations stipulated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration were all completed.

The US side has no legal basis or right to invoke the Joint Declaration to make irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong affairs. Nevertheless, the US firmly holds its hegemony and upholds the "double standards" without the bottom line, demonstrating its extreme arbitrariness, extreme irrationality, and extreme shamelessness.

The US should have had enough empathy for the national security of other countries because of its huge loss in the September 11 Attacks. What is jaw-dropping is that on the one hand, the US has formulated dozens of laws for its own national security issues, striving to create an “impregnable fortress” to safeguard its national security; on the other hand, it tries to exploit its domestic laws to stigmatize, demonize and even make threats with sanctions against the proper measures taken by China to plug the national security loophole, with the attempt to break China’s “national security network”. In comparison, the US is remarkably selfish and cold-blooded.

However, the boomerang effect of "double standards" comes soon. The US politicians once called the citywide riots and illegal marches in Hong Kong "a beautiful sight to behold." Now, the "beautiful sights" take place over a dozen US states, and the US politicians can enjoy this sight from their own windows. I just don’t know whether they still have the courage and feeling to sympathize and appreciate it.

In response to the noises made by US politicians and their political attempt to play Hong Kong card, China has made solemn representations to the US. China will take all necessary measures to hit back if the US side is bent on harming China's interests.

While China does not want to cause trouble, China is not afraid of trouble either. The Chinese government is unswerving in its determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, to implement the "one country, two systems" principle, and to oppose any external forces to interfere in Hong Kong affairs. Any attempt to leverage Hong Kong affairs to interfere in China's internal affairs is destined to be delusional!