Defending One Country, Two Systems, Guarding the Pearl of the Orient By H.E. Wang Shiting, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana

　　2019年8月13日，驻加纳大使王世廷在《加纳时报》发表署名文章《捍卫“一国两制”，守护东方之珠》，全面介绍当前香港局势，阐述中国政府处理香港事务的原则和立场。文章全文如下：

　　进入6月以来，香港发生数次较大规模的游行示威和多起暴力事件，引起国际社会广泛关注。关心香港的人们不禁要问，香港怎么了？香港今后将如何走？在这里我想澄清以下几点。

Since June, several large-scale demonstrations and violent incidents have occurred in Hong Kong, which has aroused widespread concern in the international community. People who care about Hong Kong cannot help but ask, what happened to Hong Kong? Where will Hong Kong go in the future? Hence I want to clarify the following points.

　　第一，事件的起因是今年6月香港特区政府提出修订《逃犯条例》和《刑事事宜相互法律协助条例》。有关修改旨在将香港与中国其他地区的移交逃犯合作和刑事司法互助纳入条例的适用范围，堵塞现有法律制度漏洞，更好打击犯罪，彰显法治和公义。在全球化、信息化时代，各类犯罪的跨境性非常突出，打击犯罪有赖于各个司法管辖区的密切合作。香港目前与19个国家和地区有移交逃犯安排，与30个国家和地区有刑事司法协助安排，但与中国内地、澳门和台湾地区一直没有相关安排，甚至不能开展个案合作。香港回归中国已经20多年了，作为中国的一部分，却无法与中国其他地区开展此类合作。这种情况正常吗？所以从常识来看，弥补这方面的法律漏洞，本不应产生任何争议。

Firstly, the cause of the incident was the amendments to the HKSAR's Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance in June this year. The aim is to incorporate the cooperation in handing over fugitive offenders and mutual legal assistance between Hong Kong and other parts of the People's Republic of China into the sphere of application of the Ordinances, plug existing loopholes in the legal system, better combat crime and highlight the rule of law and justice. In the era of globalization and informationization, the cross-border nature of various crimes is very prominent. Combating crime depends on the close cooperation of various jurisdictions. No place in the world should be used by the criminals as a safe haven. Hong Kong has concluded arrangements on surrender of fugitive offenders with nineteen countries and regions, and arrangements on judicial assistance on criminal affairs with thirty countries and regions. However, there has yet such an arrangement between Hong Kong and mainland China, Macao and Taiwan, let alone cooperation on legal cases. Hong Kong has been returning to China for more than 20 years, as part of China, it cannot carry out such cooperation with other parts of China. Is this situation normal? Therefore, it should not have been controversial from common sense to make up for the legal loopholes in this area.

　　但一些激进分子以“反对修改条例”为幌子散播谣言，制造恐慌，误导民众，甚至蓄意制造一连串暴力事件，围堵香港立法会和中联办、污损国徽、污辱国旗、殴打警察，甚至喊出“港独”的口号，其行径完全超出和平游行示威的范畴。不仅严重威胁公众安全和社会秩序，严重冲击香港的法治、稳定和民生，而且公然挑战“一国两制”底线，令亲者痛、仇者快！

However, some extremists, taking the amendments as an excuse, spread rumors, create fear and panic and mislead the public, deliberately create violence like storming the Legislative Council Complex, besieging the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), defacing the national emblem, insulting the national flag, attacking police officers, and even shouting the slogan "Hong Kong Independence". Their actions have already gone beyond peaceful demonstrations, which not only seriously threaten the public security and social order and severely impact Hong Kong's rule of law, stability and people's livelihood, but also defied the bottom line of "One Country, Two Systems". This aggrieves our families, but gladden our enemies.

　　第二，“一国两制”实践取得了举世公认的成功。回归22年来，香港保持繁荣稳定，连续多年被评为全球最自由经济体和最具国际竞争力的地区之一，国际金融、贸易、航运中心地位更加巩固。2018年香港地区生产总值超过3400亿美元，较1996年增长一倍多。经济发展和法治等各项指数在全世界名列前茅，东方之珠继续闪烁着璀璨光芒！22年来的实践证明，“一国两制”是维护香港安全与秩序、保持香港长期繁荣稳定的最佳制度安排。

Secondly,"One Country, Two Systems" has been proven a remarkable success. Over the past 22 years, Hong Kong has been keeping prosper and stable, ranking among the freest economies and most competitive regions in the world for consecutive years, and its position as an international financial, trade, and shipping center has been further strengthened. Hong Kong's GDP has maintained a steady growth, hitting almost $360 billion in 2018, over twice of that of 1996. The economic development and rule of law have also been among the top of world. Hong Kong, the "Pearl of the Orient", has been shining brightly. The practice of 22 years has proved that "One Country, Two Systems" is the best institutional arrangement to maintain security, order, long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong.