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HKSAR should never be a pawn of the US

By Paul Yeung | China Daily Asia | Updated: 2019-12-05 08:54

Hong Kong people should think seriously and dispassionately about whom they should stand with in the future. The months of social unrest has diverted our attention from international conflicts to internal disputes. After the District Council elections on Nov 24, the street battles are likely to calm down sooner or later, and the political focus could shift to the trade war between the US and China.

Like most of the fake news that has been clarified recently, we will be able to see a clearer picture of what has happened in Hong Kong over the past few months by then. The extradition-bill issue is the immediate cause but not the core problem that keeps energizing the anti-government campaign. Otherwise, all violent rampages would have come to an end after the SAR government formally withdrew the bill in early September. The "demands" for an inquiry into police actions and universal suffrage are fake demands, as the former can be handled by existing channels, and the latter is guaranteed by the Basic Law. Deep-seated social and economic problems in Hong Kong, like wealth disparity and the housing shortage, should not be overlooked. But they are not the real driving force behind the pernicious political movement. The actual driving force came to light over the past few weeks, when the United States Congress passed and US President Donald Trump signed the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act — a move that signaled the US had started playing the "Hong Kong card" in its trade war against China.

The US is engaged in a bitter trade war with China, and one of the weapons it wants to use is Hong Kong. However, it needs an excuse to do that. The anti-government riot, which led to escalated violence and the use of force, has provided Washington with the much-needed excuse to take action. With the cooperation of opposition lobbyists, Washington politicians blatantly intervened in Hong Kong’s internal affairs under the guise of "democracy" and "freedom", and is trying to make Hong Kong a pawn in its cause.

When we realize the actual situation, we are faced with a critical question: How should we respond? Those who participated in the Nov 28 demonstration to thank the US for enacting the law are unwise if they think Washington politicians sincerely support them. The reality is: Those politicians never have Hong Kong’s interest at heart. The Sino-US trade war could intensify in the future, and Hong Kong could become one of the battlefields. What the opposition camp is doing is just like opening the gate to the invaders, which is the action of traitors.

China will not tolerate anyone who betrays the nation. The Foreign Ministry said in response on Monday that the central government will retaliate by suspending visits of US military vessels and aircraft to Hong Kong and imposing sanctions on five US-based NGOs that supported violent activities in Hong Kong. The immediate response shows that China will take a zero-tolerance stance toward any foreign intervention. This firm response reminds us that sovereignty, integrity and national self-determination are the bottom line for China.

The US will recognize this bottom line for the sake of the trade negotiations. While Trump said that the situation in Hong Kong could complicate his administration’s efforts to secure a trade deal with Beijing, he desperately wants to secure a "phase one" trade deal with China — particularly one involving large purchases of US farm goods — to bolster support from his political base ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

We now know the two key players in the game. What should Hong Kong do? The opposition camp should realize that it reaped some political gains in the past few months because of the central government’s restraint. Beijing does not want to hurt or interfere in Hong Kong. This explains why the District Council elections could be held as scheduled in spite of internal opposition. Even though the opposition camp snatched 90 percent of the District Council seats, the election result is still acceptable, albeit not satisfactory, to the central government. At least those members of the opposition camp who were elected are now engaged in the political process.

President Xi Jinping told former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, "China and the US should step up communication on strategic concerns to avoid misjudgments and to enhance mutual understanding". This could also be seen as a warning to the opposition camp: Stop playing with fire, or you will get burned. They should realize at least two things: Firstly, Hong Kong is not a sovereign state, but an inalienable part of China; secondly, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy but can never become a pawn of the US.

The author is research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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