Foreign Ministry slams US 'hypocrisy' on democracy

China berated the hypocrisy of US claims on human rights and democracy on Tuesday, saying that the United States has exceeded the overdraft limit on its credit in this regard and that "American democracy had long gone bankrupt".

Speaking at a regular news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China is resolutely opposed to Washington's attempts to use human rights and democracy as a pretext to discredit Hong Kong's image, disrupt its rule of law and cast a shadow on the special administrative region's development prospects.

"Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs and allow no foreign interference," he said when commenting on US President Joe Biden's recent criticism of the democratic situation in several places, including Hong Kong.

Wang said that since the National Security Law for Hong Kong came into force, malicious rioting has almost disappeared, public order and people's lives have returned to normal, and all the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong residents and foreigners there are earnestly protected.

"Hong Kong has emerged out of chaos and realized stability and prosperity," Wang said, adding that Hong Kong compatriots now enjoy democracy and freedoms, which did not exist under British colonial rule.

In spite of this, the US hailed violence and crimes, including acts harming Hong Kong residents and vandalizing public facilities as "a beautiful sight to behold", but smeared the Hong Kong SAR government's law-based protection of people's rights and public order as "violation of human rights and freedoms", Wang said.

"This, once again, reflects what the American-style double standard looks like and exposed the hypocrisy of US claims on human rights and democracy," he said.

The spokesman said that the US has repeatedly used human rights and democracy to justify its interference in other countries' internal affairs and its acts that undermine regional and international security.

But from Iraq to Syria to Afghanistan, Washington's hard-sell of its own democracy and values has not brought stability to the world, but instead it has brought turmoil and disaster, he said.