Ambassador Qin Gang's interview with US mainstream media

Ellen Knickmeyer (AP): The US says it's going to send warships through the Taiwan Straits, as part of what (inaudible) in the area routinely. Is that a provocation? What's China's response to that?

Ambassador Qin Gang: The US side has done too much and gone too far in this region. Since 2012, the US side has had more than 100 navigations through the Taiwan Straits, intensifying the tension and emboldening "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. As you have mentioned earlier, we have noted what the US military said these days, that they would have a military exercise or navigation again. But I do call on American colleagues to exercise restraint, not to do anything to escalate the tension. So if there's any move damaging China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, China will respond.

Kevin Baron (Defense One): You talked a lot about what you want the United States to do to reduce tensions. But can you talk a little bit about what China is going to do to change perceptions here as you mentioned earlier? You see the fear of China ramping up in the political discourse. In fact (inaudible) FBI Director Christopher Wray says in all 50 states, there are active espionage cases against the Chinese, with all sorts of spying and industrial espionage. And as you mentioned in the political sphere, there is a little battle over what Americans should think about China, whether you can do business with China, in what direction people are supposed to go. What's China going to do to convince more Americans that they are not a threat, and they should not feel a threat, by all of these different, these rhetoric that Americans are hearing from their own security officials and their own security news, and what they're seeing in places like Hong Kong where China has removed or forcibly ended democracy and imposed its own system or what it wants?

Ambassador Qin Gang: You mentioned the Director of FBI's allegations that China is doing espionage. This is a typical presentation of the fear of China. Espionage activities of China in 50 states — do you believe it? Do you have any evidence or proofs? You should not mistake normal exchanges and interactions as spying. This is a typical threat-phobia. It scares people, scares Chinese people, young people. It scares Chinese communities, and also scares American people doing business and having people-to-people exchanges. It's ideologically driven.

You asked the question of Hong Kong. Let me say a few more words. The turbulence in Hong Kong was not caused by any problem with "One Country, Two Systems". It was caused by some anti-China forces, who used "human rights" and "democracy" as a pretext, to manipulate the concept of "One Country, Two Systems" and undermine Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.

Hong Kong's turbulence was a struggle between secession and anti-secession. Those anti-China forces instigated chaos in Hong Kong, with the support of external forces, to create trouble for China. They asked for "two systems" without the "one country". Some people even held high the Union Jack, or the Stars and Stripes in Hong Kong, chanting "two countries, two systems", and demanding "Hong Kong independence" or return to British colonial rule. Under such circumstances, China's central government had to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and safeguard Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity.

Hong Kong's turbulence was a battle between violence and anti-violence, between law violation and law enforcement. Since the turbulence over proposed legislative amendments in 2019, Hong Kong experienced serious violence, vandalism, arson, and traffic obstruction, attacks of police and assault on citizens. Some extremists even stormed the building of Hong Kong Legislative Council. The damage and danger they caused far exceeded the January 6 incident. They seriously jeopardized Hong Kong's security, stability, economy, democracy and even people's lives. You can search for videos of their violent activities on Youtube. You will know that this is never about democracy. This is never a "beautiful sight to behold", as Nancy Pelosi called it. Their activities are absolutely crimes. They are violence. The US is doing a reckoning over the January 6 incident. Likewise, Hong Kong will not allow such violent crimes.

Facing the turbulences in 2019, China's central government has decisively introduced the Hong Kong national security law, improved the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and adopted the principle of "patriots governing Hong Kong". We have taken a host of measures to uphold and improve the "One Country, Two Systems". As a result, Hong Kong has realized a major shift from chaos to stability. The "One Country, Two Systems" has returned to the right track.

Let me emphasize this. Such a shift has proved that "one country" is the premise and basis of the "two systems", and the "two systems" are subordinate to and derived from "one country." Doubts of "One Country, Two Systems" are short-sighted. It's too early to say that. Those doomsayings about "One Country, Two Systems" are doomed to fail. We believe that with "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong will enter a new era, with vigorous economic and social development and sound governance. I just read a figure, a result of a poll that the American business people's confidence in Hong Kong grew by 18% this year compared to last year.