London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Author slams West's 'colonial' mindset

Author slams West's 'colonial' mindset

The reaction of Western countries led by the United Kingdom and the United States against China's enactment of its National Security Law in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region is riddled with hypocrisy and stems from blatant disrespect for China's sovereignty, said British academic and author Martin Jacques.
He said Western nations are resisting China's exercising its sovereign rights in Hong Kong because they still regard Hong Kong to be partly theirs and certainly not wholly China's. He called it an affliction and psychological condition of old imperial powers such as Britain, which can't let go of their "golden era" and still think, in Hong Kong's case, that it is still theirs or partly theirs.

So criticism over the security law in Hong Kong comes down to fundamental disagreements about Chinese sovereignty over the city, he told China Daily on Thursday.

He said Britain's attitude can be seen with regard to its former African colonies, which are seen through the prism of colonial rule and colonial responsibility.

Jacques, a former senior fellow at Cambridge University, talked about what is called the "Five Eyes" security alliance of the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. These countries share a kinship, speak the same language and shared a "white settler colonist" history.

He called the security pact "a celebration of colonial legacy" in some ways. It is not only political, but also represents an ethnic-racial, white-centric world view, he said. The West thinks it represents the norms and values of the modern world, and China is in breach of that view, Jacques said. Those nations resort to a narrative with an underlying malicious tone questioning China's "legitimacy", he said.

This, by extension, drives the collective slanders by Western media toward China, particularly when China exercises its sovereign rights with regards to Hong Kong, according to Jacques.

Western countries that condemn China's sovereign rights have a number of national security laws of their own, some of which are more strict toward subversion and threats to the state, he said.

Jacques, author of When China Rules the World: the End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, questioned how these countries could insist that there's no need for security legislation in Hong Kong after the widespread unrest in the city since June 2019.

"The argument against national security legislation in Hong Kong is quite ridiculous. How can you go through all those riots and destruction of property in 2019 without realizing that Hong Kong needed proper national security legislation?" he said.

Jacques criticized what he called the hypocrisy of the West. He said there was virtually no criticism from Western media of violence by the rioters. Instead, he said, they were treated as "heroes".

It was an utterly irresponsible reaction, considering the West would never allow such destruction and breakdown of the rule of law to happen in their own cities, he said.

Jacques said that after 23 years, it was high time for the Chinese government to introduce national security legislation for the city. He said 23 years was a long time to wait, especially since no major country would tolerate a situation where it had no security legislation.

Britain's path-to-citizenship offer for Hong Kong residents who are British National (Overseas) passport holders was purely political grandstanding on the UK's part, according to Jacques.

As for moves by the US to pass the Hong Kong Autonomy Act with sanctions, and the revocation of Hong Kong's privileged trade status, Jacques does not see this as a critical blow to the SAR.

China has already become the center of innovation, said Jacques, who also called China's development momentous and crucial to the global economy.

China may have broken Hong Kong free from colonial rule back in 1997, but Jacques said the West still has yet to break free from a colonial mindset.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×