According to a spokesman for the United States Pacific Fleet, China banned two US warships from visiting Hong Kong and accused members of Congress from both parties of being “the black hand” behind the protesters in Hong Kong rallying against the government of Communist China.
As Stars and Stripes reported, “The amphibious dock ship USS Green Bay intended to make a visit on Saturday and the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie planned to stop there later in September, Cmdr. Nate Christensen, deputy spokesman for U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Stars and Stripes Wednesday in an email.” The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville visited Hong Kong last November, followed by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bertholf in April.
The demonstrators are protesting Communist China’s extradition of people who would be tried in Communist Party-controlled courts in mainland China. Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have vehemently condemned the Chinese Communist government on Twitter.
The Office of the Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong stated, “Certain members of the U.S. Congress confuse right and wrong, confound black and white, and incite violence and crimes. They use their words and actions to prove that they are the black hand behind extreme and violent individuals.”
Hua Chunying, a spokesperson from China’s Foreign Ministry, had said the day before:
The U.S. denied on many occasions its involvement in the ongoing violent incidents in Hong Kong. However, the comments from those members of the US congress have provided the world with new and powerful evidence on the country’s involvement. By neglecting and distorting the truth, they whitewashed violent crimes as a struggle for human rights and freedom, and deliberately misinterpreted the work of Hong Kong police as violent repression when the police were only enforcing the law, fighting crimes and upholding social order … We solemnly remind you this plain truth: Hong Kong affairs are entirely China’s internal affairs, and you are neither entitled nor qualified to wantonly comment on them. Mind your own business and stay out of Hong Kong affairs.
McConnell had stated, “The people of Hong Kong are bravely standing up to the Chinese Communist Party as Beijing tries to encroach on their autonomy and freedom. Any violent crackdown would be completely unacceptable. As I have said on the Senate floor: The world is watching.”
Pelosi decided to emulate McConnell roughly 11 hours later. She referred to Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam, tweeting, “It is alarming to watch the #HongKong police with support from Beijing intensify their use of force against the protesters and label them violent criminals. I urge Carrie Lam to meet with protest leaders to listen and act on their legitimate grievances including withdrawing the extradition bill, ending police violence & granting universal suffrage. The people of Hong Kong are trying to preserve the promise of One Country — Two Systems. If we don’t speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out elsewhere.”
Hong Kong, which was a British colony, was turned over to the Chinese Communist government in 1997. As The Daily Mail noted, “The unrest escalated dramatically yesterday after anti-riot police officers stormed Hong Kong International Airport and fired pepper spray at protesters during bloody clashes that resulted in five arrests … China’s Hong Kong Liaison office said today that anti-government protesters were no different to “terrorists” after two mainland Chinese citizens were attacked by demonstrators at the airport “for being undercover agents.”