New 'report' on HK reeks of false narratives

The lengthy and boring 2024 Hong Kong Policy Act Report filed by the United States Department of State on March 29 regurgitates the same misinformation about the special administrative region's rule of law and freedom. Even the accompanying statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken instills in the Hong Kong populace a sense of distrust toward Washington.

Blinken's threat of visa restrictions on some Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government officials, among others, because of the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance will prove useless. Who would want to see such a hostile country anyway?

Blinken concluded his statement related to the report with: "We are committed to continuing to work with Congress and the international community to stand with the people in Hong Kong in calling for the restoration of Hong Kongers' protected rights and freedoms, the immediate release of those unjustly detained or imprisoned under the National Security Law, and respect for the rule of law."

Let's get this straight. Hong Kong people are not calling for restoring their rights and freedoms; they have them now, especially after their sufferings during the US-touted rioting in 2019. Hong Kong people can do what they like and are free to do whatever they like within the framework of the law. Similar and more stringent laws are in force in the US, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other places critical of Hong Kong's national security laws.

Blinken also called for releasing those "unjustly detained "under the national security laws. Obviously, the US consul general in Hong Kong has not kept his boss up to date on the trial of former Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, charged with collusion and sedition with solid evidence being unveiled during his ongoing trial. Otherwise, he would know that those detained were allegedly involved in criminal activities to overthrow the Hong Kong SAR government.

The US secretary of state has also conveniently forgotten the Jan 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol, for which 1,200 rioters have been charged with sedition offenses. Already, 460 have been jailed, and the FBI is searching for another 220. This sends the message that the US administration and Congress condemn sedition on its home ground but condone sedition in Hong Kong. There could never be a better example of double standards and hypocrisy by the so-called self-proclaimed leader of the free world than this.

The Hong Kong government was justified in condemning the US report, which was compiled to serve the political purpose of maintaining US hegemony. Washington's attempt to undermine the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong will only expose its past wrongdoings, own weakness and ill will, which is doomed to fail.

Last year, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs listed five categories of US hegemony: political (throwing its weight around), military (wanton use of force), economic (looting and exploitation), technological (monopoly and suppression) and cultural (spreading false narratives). The 2024 Hong Kong Policy Act Report falls under the final category — cultural. The entire report is full of false narratives taken as granted by the US agencies.

For example, the report alleges that the central and special administrative region authorities are "intensifying a crackdown" on Hong Kong's civil society, media, and dissenting voices, including the issuance of bounties and arrest warrants for more than a dozen "pro-democracy" activists living outside Hong Kong.

The so-called "pro-democracy "activists are alleged criminal insurgents fleeing justice and seeking protection in safe havens such as the US, the UK, Australia and other places. Not only is the West hiding these criminals, but it is also encouraging others to follow suit. It is natural that Hong Kong wants these offenders back to face a fair trial and offers a bounty for their return.

Hong Kong is just following standard practice worldwide. The FBI has offered a bounty of $500,000 for information leading to the arrest of a pipe bomber near the Capitol the day before the Jan 6, 2021, insurrection. Many other bounties, including those wanted for the Jan 6 insurgency, range from $250,000 to $5 million.

The people of Hong Kong know that the report is not worth the paper it's written on, and they know the real story is that Hong Kong is rapidly regaining its former glory through its own initiatives. It does not need the help of the US. However, this continual harassment is annoying and tiring, but to ignore it would mean accepting it, and that we will never do.

What is worrying about Blinken's statement is his reference to working with Congress and the international community to "restore Hong Kong's rights and freedoms". By doing so, he is arming them with false narratives to continually lambaste Hong Kong to oblivion. Unfortunately, Washington's politicians and allies follow blindly.

The author is a former chief information officer for the Hong Kong government, a PR and media consultant, and a veteran journalist.