Date: August 30, 2019
MAC Press Release No. 81
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (August 30, 2019) issued a statement on the recent situation in Hong Kong. It called on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Hong Kong government to show restraint, to replace arrests with reconciliation, and to replace suppression with dialogue. Only through empathy, tolerance, and mutual understanding can the current dispute be resolved.
The MAC indicated that it has raised concerns across the international community with more than 900 anti-extradition bill demonstrators arrested since June this year, and the mass arrests of activists by the Hong Kong government recently. Hard-line pressure and clampdowns will not extinguish the protest fires, but rather fan the flames of public anger. The MAC expressed hope that all parties could lay down their weapons, both physical and intangible, and establish rational communication to untie the knot and resolve the matter. It also urged the CCP and the Hong Kong government to honor their pledge and guarantee of democracy and freedom for the people of Hong Kong, for this alone could help Hong Kong to brush the dust off and restore peace.
The MAC reiterated that the government is concerned about freedom and democracy in Hong Kong; however, it will not intervene in Hong Kong's affairs. The CCP should immediately cease its contemptible false allegations and retaliations. It should also stop repeatedly exposing its own disgrace as it continues shirking its responsibilities and unilaterally undermining the development of cross-Strait relations.