US' double standard on democracy exposed

The United States has long seen itself as the world's police and the guardian-cum-propagator of "democracy", but of late it has stooped to a new low to fulfill its self-proclaimed prophecy. Many US politicians, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have been trying desperately to drive a wedge between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people without realizing that such attempts will not only end up in failure and expose the US administration's double standard and false claims, but also prove the US administration doesn't care even about American people's well-being.

The death of an African American, George Floyd－who died when a white police officer pressed his knee against his neck for as long as eight minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25－triggered months-long anti-racial demonstrations across the US and exposed how deep racism is rooted in US society. Despite racial discrimination being outlawed in 1964, thanks to the racial equality movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., and the historic election of Barack Obama as US president in 2008, systemic racial prejudice persists in the US. In particular, racial tensions have increased in the past three and a half years. And, the income gap between African Americans and white people remains almost unchanged since the 1960s.

As a result, African Americans are more likely to be stuck at the bottom of society, caught in a vicious circle of poverty, poor education, low-paying jobs or unemployment, and crime. Also, the likelihood of a young African American being imprisoned is much higher than a white person.

That the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been disproportionately severe on African Americans has further fueled their anger against the US administration, which has been widely criticized for its pathetic response to the pandemic. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that ethnic minority groups have higher infection and death rates.

The anti-racial demonstrations have had a profound impact on US society. Realizing that the tragic death of Floyd was just the tip of the iceberg of racial problems, not only African Americans but also other minority groups have been demanding a fundamental change. But despite racial tensions intensifying over the past two and a half months, the US administration doesn't seem interested in defusing them or addressing the deep-rooted racial problems. Which has exposed the reality of the American "melting pot".

While the pandemic has wreaked havoc and anti-racial protests have once again exposed the serious social and economic inequalities, the US administration has continued to point the finger at China, in a bid to find an excuse to interfere in China's internal matters, including in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It's clear that the US administration is using double standard－brutally cracking down on anti-racial protesters at home but supporting, morally and materially, the violent demonstrators in the SAR who turned the city's social order upside down and pose a threat to national security. The US administration and politicians should know that attacking people, vandalism, arson and destroying property are illegal acts in any country and region.

Worse, when the central government implemented the new national security law in the SAR to plug the national security loopholes there, the US administration revoked Hong Kong's special status and the US Congress, which had already passed the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" last year, approved the "Hong Kong Autonomy Act", which allows economic sanctions and travel bans to be imposed on individuals, financial institutions and businesses from Hong Kong.

Not knowing what more to do to hurt both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, some US officials are now mulling de-pegging the Hong Kong dollar from the US dollar which, ironically, may backfire on the US given the close connection between the SAR's economic and financial system with that of the rest of the world.

In general, Washington does not care about the well-being and security of people in countries in turmoil, rather it sees such turmoil as an opportunity to overthrow governments that it dislikes in order to assert its geopolitical superiority, consolidate its hegemony and force other countries to toe its line.

Since China will never tolerate any interference in its internal affairs or acts that endanger its sovereignty, territorial integrity or national security, Washington would do better to stop playing the "Hong Kong card" in an attempt to coerce Beijing into submission. Instead, it should pay attention to the burning issues at home by, for example, taking proper prevention and control measures to better safeguard American people's health and lives, and address the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter protesters to improve the lives and livelihoods of African Americans and other ethnic minority groups.

The author is a professor at the Institute of International Studies, Communication University of China.