LettersTime for China to explain Hong Kong’s national security law to the West

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A pedestrian in Hong Kong, wearing a mask as the city battles a coronavirus outbreak, passes a government-sponsored advertisement for the national security law. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:05am, 26 Jul 2020Updated: 8:05am, 26 Jul 2020

Hong Kong is an international city and everyone has a stake in its future. Hong Kong was in the Western camp before 1997 and its unique position allowed the city to stay out of most political turmoil.

Now, with the imposition of the national security law, western countries are loudly criticising China’s human rights records and offering safe havens to the people of Hong Kong (“China lashes out at Five Eyes as Britain, Australia offer to help Hongkongers”, July 2).

China could meet the challenge head on by hosting a multilateral meeting, inviting all the Western noisemakers and stepping up our communication with them on why, in our eyes, the law is necessary for Hong Kong.

I would suggest China leave aside the issue of face, stop arguing with the West about their intervention in our internal affairs, and stop being caught in a punishing cycle.

China could send a delegation of Hong Kong leaders to the West to cool the temperature, and counter the stirring of the pot by the US.

Beijing might even consider a minor change to the national security law to deliberately show we are accommodative and not as aggressive as the US has tried to paint us.

China needs to step up diplomatic action, instead of debating with the West and falling into the traps set by anti-China US politicians.