A Chinese People's Liberation Army soldier wearing a protective face mask gestures to the photographer to stop taking photos in front of the Great Hall of the People. Photo / AP
A Chinese People's Liberation Army soldier wearing a protective face mask gestures to the photographer to stop taking photos in front of the Great Hall of the People. Photo / AP
China's state-run English language newspaper has blasted "haters" and "China-bashers", accusing the US, UK and allies of "hypocrisy" over Hong Kong.
An editorial published on China Daily on Tuesday night, entitled China-haters' hypocrisy knows no bounds, takes aim at US and UK leaders who have spoken out against new security legislation designed to crack down on protests in Hong Kong.
"The hysterical outburst of China-haters over the country's move to close the national security loophole in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was to be expected," the editorial fumed.
It claims the proposed legislation "targets only separatists, terrorists and troublemakers, who are small in number but endanger national security and the wellbeing of Hong Kong society".
"No one with their heart in the right place would question a sovereign state's right to protect its national interests by plugging a national security loophole in its territory.
"Yet China-bashers in the West have taken issue with the legislature's move to fulfil its constitutional responsibility."
Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus march near the Forbidden City. Photo / AP
The editorial doesn't mention Australia by name, however Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne issued a joint statement last Friday with her UK and Canadian counterparts saying the trio were "deeply concerned" about the proposals.
The leaders noted that under a joint declaration between China and the UK, Hong Kong is due to have a "high degree of autonomy" with rights of freedom, assembly, association, the press and others enshrined in law.
"Making such a law on Hong Kong's behalf, without the direct participation of its people, legislature or judiciary, would clearly undermine the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems', under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy."
Beijing plans to introduce a law banning secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong after months of massive protests last year.
However many fear it could be a huge blow to the liberal city and mark the beginning of the end for Hong Kong controlling its own destiny.
China has been shutting down protest in Hong Kong. Photo / AP
The China Daily editorial said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten "and the others" could "spout whatever 'double standards and gangster logic' they like" but China would not "submit to intimidation or threats".
The missive is the latest incident amid growing tensions between Western allies and China exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that is still raging around the world.
Australia was the first to push for a global inquiry into the crisis and has suffered retaliation from China in the form of barley tariffs, economic threats and a ban on some meat exports.
However China and other world leaders eventually backed the motion at the World Health Assembly last week with the only caveat being it is carried out once the pandemic is "under control".
Against this backdrop, China has proposed a national security crackdown on Hong Kong opposed by Western leaders, leading to accusations of anti-China bias from inside the country.
China's state-run media publications have ramped up their editorials in recent days with a cartoon in China Daily on Monday depicting Australia as a "yes man" to the US.
"Yes man to one, liar to all," read the caption of a drawing showing Australia riding a donkey in a reference to Don Quixote.
Another editorial published a week earlier branded remarks from US leaders in Washington "racist" after President Trump repeatedly referred to Covid-19 the "Chinese virus" or "Wuhan virus".
China has accused foreign politicians of using "gangster logic". Photo / Getty
"They arouse hate towards a particular country and people from a particular continent," the editorial read.
"From calling the virus the 'Wuhan virus' or 'Kung fu virus' or even 'Chinese virus' to fabricating the story about the virus leaking from a Chinese lab, senior officials from Washington have shown no restraint in expressing their racial animosity.
"It is despicable and ugly for US politicians to make such hateful remarks. They should be held accountable for the rise of racism in the US against members of the Asian-American community.
A separate editorial in the Global Times warned Australia should be "prepared to be abandoned at any time" by the United States.
"Obviously, what is on the mind of Pompeo and his likes is only US self-interests, and Washington is not going to foot the bill for the lost Australian jobs," the article said.
"Australia is already in a passive position in the face of wavering US policy. Canberra is forced to pick a side between Beijing and the Washington even when it is loath to jeopardise its relationship with China."
