Government officials and political analysts of many countries around the world have expressed concern with the ongoing violence in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and called for a return to normalcy as early as possible under the "one country, two systems" framework.
Lee Hsien Loong, Singaporean prime minister, said at the Forbes Global CEO Conference last week that Singapore looks at the Hong Kong situation with concern, as Singapore thrives best in a stable region where other economies are prospering and Singapore can continue to do business with them.
The major demands put forward by the Hong Kong demonstrators are not meant to solve Hong Kong's problems, but are "intended to humiliate and bring down the government," Lee pointed out, adding that as a special administrative region of China, Hong Kong has to "live and work" within the framework of the HKSAR basic law.
Before progress can be made in solving Hong Kong's problems, it is necessary for "temperatures to come down" first so that people can work together, the prime minister said.
In an article carried by the Straits Times on Tuesday, Tommy Koh, ambassador-at-large at Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Hong Kong protesters' violent behavior has brought discredit to their movement, and also damaged Hong Kong's economy and reputation as a safe and efficient global city.
It is unreasonable for the protest movement to expect the HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam to accept all its demands, Koh pointed out.
In another article published by the newspaper on Monday, Ker Sin Tze, Singapore's consul-general in HKSAR from 2008 to 2012, said that the "one country, two systems" principle was a brilliant and pragmatic arrangement that enabled the Sino-British negotiations to be concluded, paving the way for a smooth handover of Hong Kong to China.
While China is obliged under the handover agreement to allow the "two systems" to run for 50 years, there appears to be no reciprocal obligation on the part of Britain and its allies, including anti-China Hong Kong residents, to live up to the commitments to "one country", he wrote, pointing out that this imbalance is starkly captured in the protesters' acts of vandalism against the Chinese national flag and emblem.
Like the Singaporean officials, government officials of Cambodia, Timor Leste, Myanmar and Laos, among other countries, also expressed support for the one-China principle and emphasized that the problems in Hong Kong are China's internal affairs and should be resolved by China under the "one country, two systems" principle.
Foreign Minister of Timor Leste Dionisio da Costa Babo Soares said whatever happens in Hong Kong is a matter for the Chinese government to resolve because Hong Kong is part of China, adding that Timor Leste encourages continuous dialogues in resolving the issue and calls for the rule of law being respected.
Myanmar Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin said that Myanmar strongly supports the one-China policy and "one country, two systems" principle, and he hopes Hong Kong could succeed in its efforts to restore peace, stability, the rule of law and people's normal life.
Vilay Lakhamfong, secretary for the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Minister of Public Security, said the Lao government has been deeply concerned about the escalating violence in Hong Kong.
Laos firmly supports the Chinese government's position in dealing with the Hong Kong issue and its measures in stopping violence, restoring order and opposing outside forces' meddling in its internal affairs, he said, adding that Laos wishes to see Hong Kong maintain its stability and prosperity.
Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said that Vietnam is concerned that recent developments in the HKSAR have had negative impacts on the socio-economic life of Hong Kong people, and emphasized that it is necessary to restore order and stabilize the situation.
Cambodian government chief spokesman Phay Siphan said that violent protesters in Hong Kong should stop their outlawed actions and respect the decision of the majority of Hong Kong people who want peace, stability and further development.
The protesters should try to find solutions to the problems through legal ways rather than illegal protests, Siphan said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, stressing that "action on the streets is not the choice."
The "one country, two systems" principle has worked well in Hong Kong and under the principle people in Hong Kong have lived in peace, stability, and prosperity, Siphan pointed out, slamming certain Western countries for interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights.
The Cambodian spokesman's remarks about foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs were echoed by many political observers and analysts around the globe.
Khan Mohammad Daneshjo, Afghan political observer and veteran journalist told Xinhua in an interview, "No doubt, the hegemonic powers are behind the violent protests in Hong Kong to undermine the investment in the financial hub -- Hong Kong -- and gradually destabilize the People's Republic of China."
UAE newspaper Al Bayan pointed out in a recent report that "some foreign forces are trying to destabilize the situation in Hong Kong, undermine the credibility of (HKSAR) government and cause regional turmoil, in order to achieve their special strategic interests."
In one of its recent commentary articles, Egyptian official newspaper Al Ahram said that any impartial observation of the situation in China's HKSAR will easily discern the obvious role played by the United States in fomenting the protests and the interest it seeks.
The United States has linked the situation in Hong Kong to the trade war with China, which fully demonstrates that the United States does not want to see the Hong Kong issue solved, but seeks to use the protests in Hong Kong to exert pressure on China and safeguard its own interests, the newspaper pointed out.
Russian news website gazeta.ru said in a recent report that the recent passage of the so-called "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" at the U.S. House has imposed more tension to the U.S.-China relations.
The report quoted Alexei Maslov, head of the Oriental Studies Department of the Russian Higher School of Economics Research University, as saying that the discussion and passage of the Hong Kong-related bill at the U.S. Congress is a "premeditated act", and "the purpose of the United States is to make China surrounded by all kinds of landmines and exhausted by dealing with them.
Wilson Lee Flores, analyst and columnist of Philippine Star, said that the U.S. House's passing of the bill is unnecessary, wrong and dangerous, because it risks further encouraging the vicious cycle of violent protests now plaguing Hong Kong.
"It is tantamount to throwing more fuel on the fire of crisis, instead of helping to resolve it."
The U.S. bill is also morally wrong and smacks of arrogant, neo-colonial foreign interference in the domestic affairs of another country, thus violating the norms and ethics of international law, he said.
The blatant meddling by the U.S. Congress over Hong Kong may poison the now troubled but once vibrant bilateral relationship between the world's two biggest economies, thus also endangering global economic stability and peace, he warned.
He urged the United States and all other civilized nations to promote social harmony, stability, nonstop reforms and inclusive progress in the uncertain world, instead of unnecessarily encouraging radicalization of social angst and myriad problems into paroxysm of violence, lawlessness, the breakdown of the social compact between governments and people, and uncontrollable anarchy.
