One Hundred and Counting: China Rolls Out Evidence of US Attempts at Meddling in Hong Kong Affairs

Beijing has faced accusations of violating Hong Kong's high level of autonomy and also of human rights abuse after quelling protests on the island that were at times violent. China has strongly rejected such notions and accused Western governments of illegally meddling in the country's domestic affairs.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a "fact sheet": a full list of all alleged attempts by the US to interfere in the country's Hong Kong affairs and to back "anti-China, destabilizing forces". The ministry claims that Washington has tried to "destabilize Hong Kong" and thwart Beijing's efforts "to stop violence and restore law and order" on the island, while also undermining the island's "prosperity and stability".

In the list, containing a little over 100 cases, the Foreign Ministry details all the actions taken and statements made by American politicians, presidents, and lawmakers that in Beijing's view have threatened China's security and could be seen as illegally meddling in its domestic affairs.

Among the things listed in the fact sheet are the numerous sanctions imposed by the US on Hong Kong and Chinese officials and entities, embargoes on certain wares, such as police equipment, and collusion with elements and groups who "oppose China". The list also highlights several laws passed by the US Congress and signed by presidents that targeted China or specifically the island.

Protesters with protection gears face with riot policemen on a street during the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. Police fired tear gas late Sunday afternoon to try to disperse a demonstration in Hong Kong as protesters took over streets in two parts of the Asian financial capital, blocking traffic and setting up another night of likely showdowns with riot police.

© AP Photo / Kin Cheung

Beijing also slammed efforts allegedly undertaken by the US to undermine domestic policies such as the change to Hong Kong electoral system undertaken by China's National People's Congress in March 2020. The fact sheet brings up a series of actions by Washington in the summer of last year directed at stripping Hong Kong's preferential status in trade with the US and allegedly implemented as a means to obstruct Beijing in the introduction of new regulations on the island.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry separately slammed the US' alleged efforts to collaborate with entities that oppose Beijing and provide them with platforms to "advocate 'Hong Kong independence' and spread political disinformation". China also accused Washington of justifying the acts of "lawbreakers" by "twisting facts".

The US and many other Western countries have intensified political and sometimes economic pressure on China following the 2019 protests in Hong Kong over a since-scrapped extradition bill. The foreign powers have accused Beijing of violating its pledge to preserve a certain degree of autonomy for the island and of human rights abuse – both in Hong Kong in quelling the protests and in other parts of the country.

The Chinese government has strongly rejected these allegations and warned Western states against making such statements in the future, likening them to illegal meddling in China's domestic affairs. It insisted that the legislative changes, undertaken in the wake of the Hong Kong protests, such as the National Security Law criminalising treason, were needed to uphold order on the island, which operates under a different set of laws due to the "one country, two systems" principle.