Opinion

As a new cold war dawns and the US pursues strategic competition with China, Beijing must reassess its own policies

US opposition to China’s enactment of a national security law in Hong Kong is grounded in a larger strategy of opposing China on all fronts

In response, China must exercise its right to safeguard national sovereignty, adhere to multilateralism and expand the reform and opening up process

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Captain (Retired) Andy Tian Shichen is founder and president of the Global Governance Institution and director of the Center for International Law of Military Operations in Beijing.

Published: 6:15am, 27 May 2020Updated: 6:15am, 27 May 2020

As China’s national legislature deliberates a draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security, huge criticism has poured in from the West.

Leading the charge was US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who urged China to “reconsider its disastrous proposal” and “abide by its international obligations”. Chris Patten, the last governor of the former British colony, also aired his views, having never failed to seize any opportunity to criticise China on Hong Kong.

The average Chinese citizen would find it very difficult to understand the logic behind these criticisms. The US Congress has, on a number of occasions, passed legislation on the issue of Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Xingjiang, which are all Chinese territories.

If a foreign country can pass laws which apply extraterritorially and which interfere in China’s domestic affairs, why should China not pass laws which apply to its own territory? If, in doing so, China is accused of violating its international obligations, how should the legitimacy of the legislative actions of the United States be assessed?