Op-ed: US double standards on safeguarding national security intolerable

The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, recently adopted the Decision on
Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to Safeguard National Security.
The Decision is a manifestation of exercising and safeguarding national sovereignty, and conforms
to the international law and convention. However, the rightful and just move was maliciously
vilified by some US and Western politicians who claimed that Hong Kong no longer has “a high
degree of autonomy.” On one hand, they pretend to care for Hong Kong residents; on the other
hand, they are threatening to impose sanctions on the region. Their absurd practices mirrored bold-
faced hegemonism and exposed their unlimited double standards.
National security legislation is a state legislative power in all countries, unitary and federal alike.
The central government of a country bears the greatest and ultimate responsibility for national
security of all local administrative regions. This is a basic theory and principle of national
sovereignty, as well as a common practice in all countries of the world.
As the national security situation in Hong Kong has become increasingly severe and it was
difficult for the HKSAR government itself to independently advance legislation on national
security, it is both necessary and urgent for the NPC and its standing committee to improve the
legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security. The
move is unquestionably legitimate.
In other words, the adoption of the Decision doesn’t violate the “one country, two systems”
principle or sabotage the high degree of autonomy of the HKSAR. On the contrary, the Decision
firmly safeguards the principle and ensures that it is moving toward the right direction.
No country will allow the practices and activities endangering national security on its own
territory, such as splitting the country.
Over the years, the US and other Western countries have adopted numerous laws to safeguard
their national security. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the US government passed the
Patriot Act, the Homeland Security Act and the CLOUD Act and has applied them to a large
number of cases in judicial practices.
According to the US law, whoever organizes or encourages the overthrow or destruction of the US
government by force or violence shall be imprisoned 20 years at most, and traitors may face a
minimum sentence of five years and even death penalty. In the country, police officers have the
right to search phone, e-mail, medical, financial and other records of homegrown terrorists.
In addition, the PRISM surveillance program exposed in 2013 showed the world how crazy the
US is in protecting its so-called “national security.”
Some politicians in the US and the West are practicing double standards on national security
issues. On the one hand, they have built an extremely strict national security legal system covering
legislation, law enforcement, prosecution, trial, and prisoner rehabilitation programs; on the other
hand, they spare no effort to instigate and support practices and activities that endanger the
national security of other countries, pointing fingers at other countries’ legal and justified national
security legislation.
They have tried their best to create an iron wall of national security of their own, but are
attempting to create loopholes on the national security network of China. This fully exposes their

true purpose of suppressing and curbing China’s development, as well as their cold-blood motives
to play the Hong Kong card.
The double standards of some politicians in the US and the West are nothing new to the Chinese
people, including the compatriots in Hong Kong. After the turbulence over proposed anti-
extradition bill amendments last June, the external forces labeled violent criminals as “democratic
warriors,” but turned a blind eye to the greatest human right and will of the people – stopping
violence and restoring order.
They connived at and beautified pro-violence remarks, but arbitrarily silenced the voices of justice
calling for truth and the rule of law. To put it bluntly, under the guise of their seemingly “noble”
excuse is deep-rooted hegemonic acts and logic.
Some American politicians, represented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, carried out illegal
surveillance programs around the world, but smeared other countries for “launching cyber attacks
on the US.” They arbitrarily interfered in other countries’ internal affairs, but in turn vilified the
latter for “attempting to interfere in American elections.” They are heavily engaged in trade
protectionism, but in turn accuse other countries of “undermining free trade.” What defines their
standard is “power is truth” – They place their private interests before everything.
The affairs of the HKSAR are China’s internal affairs, and China will not allow any external force
to interfere with Hong Kong affairs. The US and Western politicians obsessed with hegemonism
had better abandon their double standards.
The Chinese people do not believe in fallacies, but they are not afraid of them; they do not make
trouble, but they are not afraid of it. No country should entertain the fantasy that China will barter
away its core national interests or allow its sovereignty, security, and development interests to be
infringed upon.