Commentary: Press freedom, how many crimes are committed in thy name!

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Press freedom has long been abused by some Washington politicians as a handy excuse to mislead the public and misrepresent China.

Most recently, after Hong Kong police arrested six current or former senior staff members of Stand News, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and others from Britain, Canada and Australia, unsurprisingly pounced. They even openly demanded the release of the duly arrested.

Once again their double standards on press freedom have been exposed in yet another futile attempt to contain China by trying to meddle in the country's internal affairs.

For starters, Stand News is an anti-China political organization under the guise of a news agency. It supported violence during the 2019 unrest, and spread heaps of lies against local police officers. It advocates "Hong Kong independence."

This so-called media group continued to fan the flames even after the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong. It published numerous seditious articles between July 2020 and November this year aimed at slandering the police and inciting hatred against the government and the city's judicial system.

In May, Stand News even released an article promoting terrorism, seeking to encourage lone-wolf terrorist attacks in Hong Kong.

For the record, the arrests and the freezing of the group's assets are strictly in accordance with the law and based on ample evidence. It was an act of justice to safeguard the rule of law, social stability and national security in Hong Kong.

"Bringing the people involved in the case to justice has nothing to do with press freedom," said a spokesperson with the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Hypocritical Western politicians are in no position to lecture anyone on press freedom. In fact, press freedom in their own countries is in deep trouble.

Following the tragic death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, in the hands of a white police officer last year, demonstrations erupted in several U.S. cities. A host of journalists who reported the protests were either attacked or arrested by local police.

The topic of press freedom is merely a pretext -- along with such topics as democracy, human rights and judicial justice -- used by China bashing politicians to interfere in the country's domestic affairs.

Apart from these politicians, some Western academicians and media groups are willing to be a part of their countries' anti-China geopolitical game. They, by coining sensational terms and publishing truth-twisting research papers, also seek to defame China and paint the country as a threat.

However, a lie is a lie. There is no lie convincing enough to cover up attempts to undermine China's stability and halt the country's development.

With the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and improvements in the city's electoral system, the Chinese city will prove to be more stable and prosperous in the future.

China is set to march forward on its path of national rejuvenation, and no amount of Western meddling can stop it. Instead of pretending to show concern for Hong Kong, the West should focus on resolving its own burgeoning problems at home.