Has China walked away from its promise on Hong Kong?

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his recent speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, negated every aspect of China-US relations, maliciously attacked the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China's political system, and attempted to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people. He also wantonly criticized China's domestic and foreign policies, spread the so-called "China threat", and called for an anti-China alliance to contain China's development.

Pompeo's baseless, fact-distorting speech misrepresents history and the reality. It is full of ideological prejudice and driven by a Cold-War mentality. His remarks have not only been condemned by the Chinese people, but also criticized and opposed by sensible people in the United States as well as the international community.

To debunk the lies fabricated by Pompeo, let the facts speak for themselves.

Rumor:

Mike Pompeo: China walked away from its promise to the world on Hong Kong.

Fact:

The central government has been unswervingly implementing the policy of "one country, two systems". Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, this principle, along with "the people of Hong Kong administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, has been effectively implemented and made widely recognized achievements. "One country, two systems" has been proven to be the best institutional arrangement to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. The central government will continue to uphold the integrity of the "one country, two systems" policy, and ensure its faithful implementation.

-- The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The Sino-British Joint Declaration is not relevant in this regard. As China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, all provisions concerning the UK under the Joint Declaration had been fulfilled. The basic policies on Hong Kong stated by China in the Joint Declaration are its policy declaration, which have since been fully embodied in the Basic Law enacted by the NPC. China's relevant policies have not changed, and will continue to be adhered to.

-- At the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held between June 30 and July 17, when a small number of Western countries smeared China on Hong Kong-related issues, over 70 countries supported China's legitimate position and condemned the act to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal affairs. This reflected the common voice and just position of the international community. It is not hard to tell who wins over support of the majority.

-- Hong Kong has been one of the world's freest, open, prosperous and dynamic regions. From 1997 to 2019, its GDP increased from 1.37 trillion to 2.87 trillion Hong Kong dollars. Over the years, Hong Kong has maintained its status as an important global financial center. By the end of 2019, the total value of Hong Kong's stock market approached five trillion US dollars, closely trailing that of New York, Shanghai and Tokyo.

-- According to the annual competitiveness rankings compiled by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong has moved up the chart since its return to the motherland, and has for four times claimed the first or second place between 2015 and 2020.

-- By 2019, Hong Kong has been rated as the world's freest economy for 25 consecutive years by the US-based Heritage Foundation.