双语：法治、开放的香港不应成为法外之地

An Open Hong Kong Under the Rule of Law Shall Not Become A Lawless Place

双语：林松添大使在南主流媒体发表署名文章《法治、开放的香港不应成为法外之地》

法治、开放的香港不应成为法外之地

An Open Hong Kong Under the Rule of Law Shall Not Become A Lawless Place

中国驻南非大使 林松添

Lin Songtian, Ambassador of China to South Africa

香港一直以法治、自由、开放、繁荣著称，被誉为一颗闪烁的“东方明珠”，成为世界三大金融中心之一。

Known for its rule of law, openness and prosperity, Hong Kong is crowned as a shining Pearl in the East and one of the world’s three major financial hubs.

但近两个多月来，香港社会秩序已陷入混乱，一些右翼反华分子以香港特区政府修订《逃犯条例》和《刑事事宜相互法律协助条例》为幌子，持续组织游行示威活动，并不断升级、演化为极端暴力违法行为，严重挑战法治底线，引发了国际社会高度担忧。

However, in the past two months, Hong Kong’s social order has fallen into chaos. Some anti-China right-wing forces in Hong Kong, under the pretext of opposing the amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, have organized demonstrations which have escalated into extremely illegal violent activities, overstepping the bottom line of the rule of law and arousing high concern of the international community.

近期出现的香港乱象已严重影响当地经济民生和生产生活秩序。据报道，香港今年头六个月各项经济指标全面下跌。香港第二季度本地生产总值较去年同期仅实质增长0.6%。已有22个国家和地区对香港发出旅游安全提醒。更严重的是，香港当前事态已严重打击了国际投资者信心。南非航空公司也曾被迫暂停飞往香港的航班，不少南非商务、投资和旅游活动受到严重影响。

The chaos in Hong Kong has seriously affected its economy and people’s livelihood. According to reports, Hong Kong’s economic indicators slumped across the board in the first six months of this year. Hong Kong’s GDP grew by only 0.6% year on year in real terms in the second quarter of this year.

Twenty-two countries and regions have issued travel safety alerts to Hong Kong. What’s more, the current situation in Hong Kong has severely dampened international investors’ confidence. South African Airways was once forced to suspend flights to Hong Kong, seriously affecting the normal business and personnel exchanges.

去年2月，香港居民陈同佳在台湾杀害其怀孕女友后潜逃回港，由于港台两地之间并无司法互助安排，香港法院仅判处恶意杀人犯陈同佳29个月有期徒刑，引起受害者家属及香港社会的强烈不满。

In February last year, Chen Tongjia, a Hong Kong resident, fled back to Hong Kong after killing his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan. Because there was no mutual legal assistance arrangement between Hong Kong and Taiwan, the HK court sentenced Chen Tongjia, a malicious murderer, to only 29 months in prison, causing strong dissatisfaction from the victim’s family and Hong Kong society.

为避免有罪不罚，香港特区政府顺应民意，提出修订上述两个条例，允许香港通过特别安排与尚未签订移交逃犯和刑事司法协助协议的台湾和大陆、澳门开展移交犯罪嫌疑人和逃犯的个案合作，目的是修补香港现行法律的漏洞。这是国际通行的惯例。但由于香港一些右翼激进势力，在美西方反华势力煽动、策划和支持下，以反对修例为名，不断组织游行示威，特区政府已决定暂缓修例。

To avoid impunity and respond to the call of the people, the Hong Kong SAR government proposed to amend the two ordinances to allow Hong Kong, through special arrangements, to cooperate with Taiwan, the mainland and Macao, which have not yet signed agreements on the handover of fugitives and criminal judicial assistance, to carry out case cooperation on the handover of suspects and fugitives so as to close the loopholes in Hong Kong’s existing legal system.

This is the universal international practice. However, some right-wing radical forces in Hong Kong, instigated and supported by anti-China forces in the Western country led by the US, have been organizing demonstrations under the pretext of opposing the amendments. To maintain social stability, the Hong Kong SAR government has decided to suspend the amendments.

事实证明，香港那些右翼反华势力只是以“反修例”为幌子，蓄意制造暴力事件。他们非法打砸香港立法会，冲击中联办，肆意侮辱中国国旗、国徽、香港特别行政区区徽，非法组织大规模示威恶意堵塞道路、地铁，瘫痪国际机场和地铁等公共交通，悍然暴力袭击警察，群殴游客和记者，甚至使用汽油弹烧伤警察。

The facts have proven that those anti-China forces in Hong Kong are only deliberately creating violence under the cloak of “opposing amendments to the ordinances”. They illegally stormed Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, blatantly insulted the Chinese national flag, national emblem, HKSAR emblem, and organized massive demonstrations to maliciously block roads, subways, occupy airports to paralyze public traffic, assault the police officers, and beat visitors and journalists. Some demonstrators even use petrol bombs against the police officers.

如此公然藐视法律、肆意侵犯人权、泯灭人性的暴行，迄今已造成461人受伤，其中包括139名警务人员，严重破坏香港法治秩序，完全突破了法律的底线、道德的底线、人性的底线，更触及了“一国两制”的原则底线。

Such lawless and inhuman atrocities in flagrant violation of human rights have caused 461 people injured, including 139 police officers, seriously disrupted the rule of law and social order in Hong Kong, completely overstepped the bottom line of law, morality, humanity, and the principle of “one country, two systems”.

任何主持正义的国家和有良知的人都不会认为香港出现的乱象是所谓的“美丽风景线”、“民主和自由的表达”。很遗憾，只有美国那些人会说出这样的话！

Any country that upholds justice and people with conscience will not regard such chaos in Hong Kong as “beautiful scenery” and “the expression of democracy and freedom”. Unfortunately, only those in the US can say that loudly and publicly!

法治是香港稳定和繁荣的基石。香港回归中国22年以来，按照“一国两制”和基本法，香港实施“港人治港”和高度自治，享有了英国殖民者统治时代不可能享有的自由和民主，充分分享中国大陆发展红利，实现了稳定与繁荣。

The rule of law is the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity. In the past 22 years since Hong Kong’s return to China, in accordance with the “one country, two systems” and the Basic Law, Hong Kong has implemented “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong” and a high degree of autonomy. It has enjoyed freedom and democracy that had never been possible under the British colonial rule, fully shared the development dividend of mainland China and achieved stability, development and prosperity.

但以美国为首的一些西方国家，为了达到搞乱香港、遏制中国发展进程之目的，近期抓住修例这一借口，明里暗里策划、煽动、支持香港右翼反华势力，同香港特区政府和中国中央政府公然对抗。美国副总统彭斯、国务卿彭佩奥等政要纷纷会见香港反对派人士，为其张目。特朗普总统、佩洛西议长以及前国务卿希拉里等美国政要纷纷公开发表言论，为香港暴徒撑腰。

However, in order to achieve their evil purpose of disrupting Hong Kong and containing China’s development, some western countries led by the US, used the excuse of amendments to the ordinances to plot, incite and support Hong Kong’s right-wing anti-China forces to openly confront the Hong Kong SAR government and the Chinese central government. US Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other political figures met with and endorsed the opposition figures in Hong Kong. US politicians such as President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mrs. Clinton made public remarks to support the rioters in HK.

更可恶的是，在香港暴力游行队伍当中出现了不少美国人的面孔，美国驻香港总领馆人员或明或暗同暴力游行示威组织者频频会面，游行活动中多次出现美国国旗。

What is even more abhorrent is that many Americans were spotted in the violent protests in HK and officials from the US Consulate General in HK has frequently met with the organizers of violent demonstrations either publicly or secretly. The American flag appeared many times during the protests.

美国自诩为民主、法治的捍卫者，但始终奉行双重标准。对本国“占领华尔街”运动等不惜动用大量警力，使用武力，但对中国则把香港暴力犯罪美化成“争取人权和自由”，把香港警察依法执法、打击犯罪、维护社会秩序歪曲成“暴力镇压”，把中国企业公民伸张正义污蔑为受迫于中国政府“选边站队”。

Self-proclaimed as defenders of democracy and rule of law, the United States has been pursuing double standards in practice. They never hesitated to use heavy police and forces to suppress the “Occupy Wall Street” movement at home while beautifying violent crimes in China’s Hong Kong as “seeking human rights and freedoms”, distorting the law enforcement, fighting of crime and maintenance of social order by the Hong Kong police as “violent suppression”, and smearing the justice expression by the Chinese businesses and citizens as being forced by the Chinese government to “take side”.

这是对国际社会公认的民主和法治精神和人类良知的公然背弃。在任何民主、文明的社会或国家，任何示威游行都必须根据法律程序提出申请，并在指定的地方和平进行，决不能损害大众的自由和人身安全，不得破坏社会公共秩序，更不得使用暴力或暴力袭警。任何文明和法治社会都不会容忍如此暴力行径。这在包括南非在内的任何民主法治国家或地区都如此，美英等西方国家也不例外。

This is a flagrant betrayal of the core spirit of democracy and rule of law and the human conscience recognized by the international community. In any democratic or civilized society or country, any demonstration must be submitted in accordance with legal procedures and carried out in a peaceful and orderly manner in a designated place. It must not impair the freedom and personal safety of the public, and must not undermine social public order, let alone use violence or attack police with force. No civilization or society under rule of law will tolerate such violence. This is true in any democratic country or region under rule of law, including South Africa, and western countries such as the USA and Britain are no exception.

有法必依、违法必究，是任何一个法治社会的基本要求。任何主张都不能以违法的方式表达，更不能诉诸暴力。违法就是违法，暴力就是暴力，其性质不会因为它在不同的国家或地区而改变。

It is a basic requirement of any society under rule of law to enforce laws and regulations and prosecute any illegal acts. No claim can be expressed in an illegal way, let alone resorting to violence. Violence is violence. It is illegal to break the law. Its nature will never change because it is in different countries or regions.

近期，香港社会各界纷纷站出来呼吁尽快恢复香港的法治秩序，维护法治与繁荣，反对暴力，严厉谴责针对警察、游客和记者的暴力行为，呼吁示威者尽快停止非法暴力行为。这已成为当今香港的主流民意。

Recently, all sectors of Hong Kong society step forward to call for urgent restoration of social order and rule of law, maintaining prosperity and opposing violence. They denounced violence against police, tourists and journalists, and urged protesters stop illegal and violent actions as soon as possible. This has become the mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong.

香港属于中国，也是面向世界的全球金融中心和航空枢纽。美国等西方国家在香港拥有大量商业利益，维护香港法治与稳定繁荣符合各方利益，搞乱香港对任何一方都没有好处。香港尽快恢复法治秩序与发展繁荣不仅符合香港等全体中国人民的共同利益，也符合全世界人民的共同利益，也是中国和世界各国的共同责任。

Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong, but also a global financial center and aviation hub. The US and other western countries have a large number of commercial interest in Hong Kong. It is in the interests of all parties to safeguard the rule of law, stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. Destabilizing or disrupting Hong Kong serves no one’s interest. An early restoration of the rule of law and stability and prosperity in HK not only serves the common interests of all the Chinese people in Hong Kong, but also serves the common interests of peoples all over the world. It has also become the common responsibility of China and the rest of the world.

中国政府将继续坚定支持香港特区政府依法施政，坚定地支持香港司法执法机构依法惩治暴力违法行为，追究暴力犯罪者的刑事责任，尽快恢复法治秩序，维护稳定与繁荣。

The Chinese government will continue to firmly support the Hong Kong SAR government in governing according to laws, firmly support the Hong Kong judicial and law-enforcement institutions in punishing violent crime and prosecuting violent offenders for criminal responsibility in accordance with law, restore social order and rule of law as soon as possible, and maintain stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.

香港的前途和命运掌握在包括香港同胞在内的全体中国人民手中。希望并相信香港人民和特区政府能同心协力，坚决抵制外来干涉，尽快依法恢复和维护香港法治秩序。

Hong Kong’s future and destiny are in the hands of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Hong Kong. It is our strong hope and belief that the Hong Kong SAR government and people will unite together to resolutely resist external interference and restore and safeguard the rule of law in Hong Kong at an early date.