[Poster provided by Gao Yamei/for chinadaily.com.cn]
In his keynote speech on celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on Thursday, President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, emphasized the central government's overall jurisdiction over the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and the importance of implementing the legal systems and enforcement mechanisms for the two special administrative regions to safeguard national security.
As always, certain Western media outlets exerted their creativity in distorting the message sent by China. In one Western report after another, they misinterpreted Xi's keynote speech by selectively omitting its true meaning and claiming that Hong Kong would be "silenced" or that only the central government's say in Hong Kong governance would be "secured".
Had anyone listened to the full text of the speech or read it, he or she will immediately find how it stressed the "one country, two systems" principle and the high degree of autonomy Hong Kong and Macao enjoy. President Xi said clearly, without a bit of ambiguity, that "While protecting China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, we will ensure social stability in Hong Kong and Macao, and maintain lasting prosperity and stability in the two special administrative regions."
The purpose of certain Western media in distorting Xi's speech is to misinterpret the "one country, two systems" principle, and mixing the high degree of autonomy with their so-called "independence". "One country, two systems" is never something that will turn Hong Kong into an independent or semi-independent place; Just the contrary; it is a security line that protects Hong Kong and its 7.47 million people from the evil hands of foreign-backed political forces and secessionists.
Hong Kong is part of China, and those playing political games for disintegrating purposes will only fail.
On June 30, one year since the National Security Law came into effect, Hong Kong police announced they had arrested 117 persons on suspicion of violating the law. By weeding harmful worms out, the law and its enforcement mechanism are ensuring the healthy growth of Hong Kong as a prospering tree - a tree that will stay ever green.
