Biden officials are repeating his predecessor's folly about HK: China Daily editorial

When it comes to the United States' relationship with China, the Biden administration is repeating the folly of his predecessor. The words and deeds of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are the best evidence of this.

On Wednesday, Blinken released the so-called Hong Kong Policy Act Report and reported to the US Congress about China's "continued dismantling of Hong Kong's freedoms, democratic institutions, and high degree of autonomy", and concluded that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region does not warrant special US status.

Over the past month, Blinken tweeted four times about Hong Kong, pointing a finger at its electoral reform and its judicial affairs, as well as announcing the sanction of Chinese legislators.

His overall attitude about Hong Kong is similar to that of his predecessor Mike Pompeo last year, as are his tweets. On one US media outlet after another, headlines of stories discussing Blinken's report said it "reaffirms Trump-era ruling" or "continues tough policy of Trump administration".

The aim of the new White House team is clear: To use Hong Kong as a political tool to "contain" China and to intervene in China's domestic affairs.

More so than the Trump administration, which was famous for blatantly bargaining for interests, politicians in the Biden administration are more adept at hiding themselves under the fig leaf of "human rights" or "democracy".

Yet the leaf has long been worn out, full of holes and painted with phrases like "I can't breath", "Stop Asian hate" and "Stormed Capitol Hill". One wonders how certain US politicians, with so many instances of human rights violations in their own country, have the courage to blame others for nonexistent ones.

Ironically, in three of his four tweets about Hong Kong in March, Blinken attached the hashtag "Stand with Hong Kong"; In the fourth, he wrote the full phrase.

Every rational mind knows that by doing so, he is ruining Hong Kong instead of standing with it. He and his fellow politicians are only trying to rekindle the ashes of violence there and prevent Hong Kong from further development by arousing chaos.

They are doomed to fail. Hong Kong's prosperity has never been "endowed by" any foreign country, but will instead be created by generations of Hong Kong people's efforts and the great advantages of maintaining ties with the Chinese mainland. Whatever "status" the US Congress and government consider it to be in, Hong Kong's prosperity will continue, and its trend of further integration with the motherland will continue.

Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs, and no foreign country has the power to intervene in it. Unless the Biden administration wants to repeat the failure of its preceding administration, it must realize this and change its approach.