In a move that demonstrates a classic example of a double standard, some members of the opposition camp have been trying to pressure the Chinese mainland’s law-enforcement authorities to return the 12 Hong Kong residents arrested and detained on the mainland for illegally entering mainland territory. 

Among the maneuvers, aimed at securing the return of the 12 who were arrested on Aug 23 after their speedboat was intercepted by the China Coast Guard in mainland waters, was the brazen attempt to seek foreign interference. They have initiated an online petition to the White House, demanding the 12 suspects’ “immediate release and safe return to Hong Kong”.

But they have conveniently turned a blind eye to the woes of another five Hong Kong residents who have been detained by Taiwan’s authorities after reaching the island by boat, and who have not been allowed to contact their families, according to Taiwan journalist Edd Jhong, who claimed on his Facebook page that he helped the five flee to the island.

Members of the opposition camp have said nothing about the five’s “immediate release and safe return to Hong Kong”, not to mention leveraging foreign pressure to secure their return, some two months after the five were held by local authorities in Kaohsiung for illegally entering the island by boat.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also once again exhibited his typical hypocrisy when he expressed on Friday “concerns” over the 12 Hong Kong suspects held on the mainland and questioned Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s commitment to protecting residents’ rights, in his attempt to pressure the latter to negotiate for the return of the 12. 

Did Pompeo also suggest that Lam should pile up pressure on the Canadian authorities to secure the return of Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, who holds a Hong Kong SAR passport and ID card? He himself would do a better job in securing Meng’s release, given Washington’s influence over Ottawa.

Hypocrisy aside, Pompeo also demonstrated his arrogance as well as his contempt for the territoriality principle of public international law, under which a sovereign state can prosecute criminal offenses that are committed within its borders. In line with this principle, Article 322 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China stipulates that people who illegally cross the border (including exit and entry) are liable to a fine, criminal detention or even imprisonment for up to 12 months.

Washington politicians see it as logical and natural for the US to enforce long-arm jurisdiction. But they do not buy the notion that China, a sovereign state, has full jurisdiction over its own territory.