A man in black attire brutally attacked an on-duty police officer on a busy street in Hong Kong on Thursday as the city celebrated the centenary of the Communist Party of China and the 24th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The assailant stabbed the officer with a knife in the back, near the armpit, just below his left shoulder. He was probably aiming at the victim’s heart, but missed. As he tried to flee, the attacker stabbed himself in the chest with the same knife and died before doctors could save him. The Hong Kong community condemned such homegrown terrorism, which the police described as a “lone-wolf terrorist attack” launched by remnants of the “black revolution” that occurred from June 2019 to June last year. Many members of the public were shocked by the attack, but several local websites posted messages hailing the cowardly act and heinous crime and urging supporters to “mourn” the attacker.
The police are investigating whether any organization had masterminded the attack or whether the assailant had accomplices. But the general public, as well as the HKSAR government, must be on high alert against possible copycat attacks from now on. Given the severity of the incident, local residents should watch out for any suspicious behavior or avoid crowds for their own sake.
Pro-establishment lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu was physically attacked during the “black revolution” because of his staunch support for the Hong Kong police in maintaining peace and order, as well as his strong objection to the unlawful behavior of rioters. The assault on Ho was, undoubtedly, politically motivated, but the attacker was, obviously, not trying to kill him. This time, the assailant, apparently, tried to kill a policeman, which is why he took his own life. And he chose to do it on July 1 amid nationwide celebrations that immediately followed the first anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. The terrorist attack may very well be seen as a “declaration of war” on the country, including the HKSAR.
The National Security Law and the improvement of Hong Kong’s electoral system won’t eliminate threats to national security or peace and order in the city for good. Hong Kong society, especially the SAR government, must stay on high alert against homegrown terrorism
The SAR’s National Security Law ended the “black revolution” and has restored peace and order in the city since it was enforced a year ago, with the anti-China forces almost completely crushed. Some of them have gone underground, but remain hell-bent on harming national interests and public order by all means, including terrorist acts. They’ll continue to incite those who have been brainwashed, particularly youngsters, to resort to violence against the SAR government and, particularly, the Hong Kong Police Force, and sow fear in the city. The SAR government faces a tough and protracted struggle against hidden and deadly enemies of the country seeking to undermine national security in Hong Kong.
Newly appointed Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee Ka-chiu said in a recent interview that Western powers hostile to China have not given up their attempts to sabotage China by using Hong Kong, where they still have a small but loyal following. He said the anti-China forces are beaten but not eliminated for good, and will attack again whenever they can, while anti-government extremists will also resort to terrorism sooner or later. Although it’s still unclear if the lone-wolf knife attacker belonged to any existing extremist group, there’s no question it was homegrown terrorism. For hostile forces, it’s now quite impossible for them to orchestrate illegal mass protests as they did during the “black revolution”. Lone-wolf terrorist attacks by brainwashed individuals could be a major threat to public order and public safety in Hong Kong.
“How can little bugs topple a big tree?” asked chairman Mao Zedong when he referred to China’s enemies in a poem he wrote in 1963. It’s an appropriate analogy for the lone-wolf terrorists trying to shake the morale of the Hong Kong Police Force, which is instrumental in safeguarding national security in the SAR. The next important steps in the evolution of Hong Kong’s political ecology are the Election Committee and Legislative Council elections to be held this year. Since the patriotic camp is expected to dominate the two institutions through the elections, it’s a foregone conclusion that its enemies will carry out more lone-wolf terrorist attacks, like the one on Thursday, on police officers or prominent patriots in the lead-up to and during those elections. That means the National Security Law and the improvement of Hong Kong’s electoral system won’t eliminate threats to national security or peace and order in the city for good. Hong Kong society, especially the SAR government, must stay on high alert against homegrown terrorism.
In his speech at a ceremony in Beijing on Thursday to mark the centenary of the CPC, President Xi Jinping said: “We’ll stay true to the letter and spirit of the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong, and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We’ll ensure that the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong and Macao, and implement the legal systems and enforcement mechanisms for the two special administrative regions to safeguard national security.” Particularly noteworthy for Hong Kong and Macao are the words: “Implement the legal systems and enforcement mechanisms for the two special administrative regions to safeguard national security.”
“The country is its people; the people are the country.” Hong Kong’s role in safeguarding national security must be based on the support of the city’s 7.5 million residents for the HKSAR government and its administration according to the Basic Law and Hong Kong law. In this respect, the chief executive and her team of principal officials must learn a lesson from the lone-wolf attack on Thursday that has taught us never to let our guard down against terrorism. We must also put the COVID-19 pandemic under control as soon as possible and resume our structural transformation of the economy, so that we can give most Hong Kong residents a stronger sense of belonging and gain.
Speaking as acting chief executive at a reception hosted by the SAR government to mark the 24th anniversary of the handover, Lee said Hong Kong is ready for a rebound after hitting rock bottom in socioeconomic development. He hopes the current-term SAR administration will step up measures to safeguard national security while continuing politico-economic reforms aimed at resolving deep-rooted issues that hinder improving the people’s well-being, so that it will prove its worth and governance capabilities with an excellent performance for the rest of its term in office.
The author is a senior research fellow of China Everbright Holdings.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.