Heavy smoke is seen as protesters clash with Los Angeles sheriff deputies in Paramont, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, June 7, 2025. Several people were arrested on Saturday after protesters clashed with U.S. immigration agents for the second day in a row in Southern California. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)

In recent days, violent confrontations have continued to escalate in Los Angeles. Sparked by the arrest of undocumented immigrants, the clashes have triggered a fresh wave of political infighting between federal and state authorities, as well as between Republicans and Democrats. For many Chinese netizens, the chaos in Los Angeles reminds them of the 2019 turbulence over the amendment bill in Hong Kong. It has also revived memories of then-US house speaker Nancy Pelosi's infamous remark - "a beautiful sight to behold" - a comment now seen as a boomerang hitting back at the US.

It is important to note that the 2019 turbulence over the amendment bill in Hong Kong is fundamentally different from both the 2021 Capitol riot and the ongoing violent confrontations in Los Angeles. The turbulence over the amendment bill in Hong Kong was, in essence, a failed "color revolution" incited by external forces exploiting local social issues in collusion with destabilizing anti-China elements. The movement, heavily influenced by foreign interference, carried a clear anti-China political agenda aimed at destabilizing Hong Kong.

The clashes in Los Angeles, however, appear to be street clashes triggered by a specific incident. In reality, they represent a concentrated eruption of deeper tensions between the newly empowered Republican administration and groups aligned with the Democrats over policy direction and power distribution. These tensions are further compounded by long-standing structural issues in American society - such as the failure of gun control, a deeply divided immigration policy, and systemic racism. As a result, conflicts have spiraled out of control at a critical moment, revealing a profound crisis at the core of the US domestic governance system.

Although the violence in Hong Kong in 2019 and the ongoing clashes in Los Angeles may appear similar in form, they are fundamentally different in nature. The former was an act of separatist disruption fueled by foreign interference. The latter is an internal eruption rooted in the US own deep-seated problems. When American politicians once glorified the turbulence in Hong Kong as a "beautiful sight to behold," they likely never imagined that one day their own streets would be overwhelmed by a similar "sight." Ironically, what they once denounced has long since moved beyond chaos, entering an era of stability, prosperity and lasting peace. 

Strictly speaking, labeling American politicians like Pelosi as practitioners of "double standards" is actually an understatement. A closer look at their shifting positions and past statements reveals a simple and clear standard behind their actions: self-interest.

During the violent protests in Hong Kong in 2019, these politicians, as the main behind-the-scenes agitators, turned a blind eye to radicals' repeatedly attacks on police. Cloaked in the rhetoric of "democracy" and "freedom," they applauded this fake democracy. Yet when the Capitol riot in the US in 2021 shook the very foundation of their own power, they swiftly labeled the violent protests as threats to democracy and social stability and began to stress the need for maintaining order.

Fast forward to the ongoing protests in Los Angeles - a Democratic stronghold - Pelosi once again took to blaming the government, calling it "the hallmark of authoritarianism on the road to tyranny." This perfectly encapsulates two of their signature tactics: "selective labeling" and "differentiated accountability." Each instance of such double standards and position-shifting by these politicians is rooted in their own political interests and calculations. Their concern is not for principles or people, but for self-serving gains.

From the perspective of genuinely caring for the well-being of the people, incidents like the Los Angeles protests, regardless of where they occur, bring no benefit to the public, deviating from the shared human aspiration for a better life. Chinese netizens' mockery of these double standards is not aimed at the American people caught in the chaos, but rather at those US politicians who deliberately sow division and ignore public welfare. By placing political manipulation above the safety and interests of the people, they have become a major force tearing society apart.

Peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom are humanity's common values and should form the foundation of a global consensus on social governance. It is hoped that certain countries and politicians can rise above the political trap and habitual path of "double standards," learn the essential lesson of "governing themselves well," abandon confrontational thinking driven by ideological lines, and instead seek practical cooperation to resolve governance challenges. Only then can we build a social governance model that balances development with fairness, create more opportunities for the people and truly translate these shared values into tangible well-being for all.

The author is a deputy to the National People's Congress representing Hong Kong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn