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BEIJING, Nov. 17-- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, it seems, has been fathoming new depths of disinformation and effrontery in badmouthing Beijing and its Hong Kong policy these days. In a Nov. 15 speech at the Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, the top U.S. diplomat once again blasted China over Hong Kong, saying that the Communist Party of China is "inconsistent" with what it has promised regarding the policy of "one country, two systems." For the record, since Hong Kong's return to China 22 years ago, China's central government has been faithfully implementing the "one country, two systems" policy in strict accordance with the constitution and the Basic Law. Since this June, Beijing has been consistent with its sturdy support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government and local police force to end violence and restore order in the city. Yet certain U.S. politicians like Pompeo have refused to acknowledge that fact. As a matter of fact, the kind of "one country, two systems" they want the Chinese government to be consistent with is to deny Beijing's due constitutional rights and sovereign responsibilities over part of its own territory. In their mind, Hong Kong's autonomy and Beijing's legitimate jurisdiction are mutually exclusive. That is deliberate distortion. The policy endows Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, but that autonomy only happens within the framework of one country. Any attempt to erode that principle will not be allowed. | 
