On Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the Detroit Economic Club where he warned that a trade deal with China will be harder to achieve if Hong Kong’s rights are violated. By taking a hard line in his speech, Pence revealed the Washington’s motive to politicize the trade talks.

Standing before the audience, Pence criticized China for not following the Sino-British Joint Declaration in the recent Hong Kong protests. However, if Pence actually took the time to read the declaration word for word, he would realize how ignorant he is of Hong Kong’s history.

The declaration, signed by China and the UK in 1984, was designed to transition Hong Kong’s handover from the UK to China under the “one country, two systems” and the Basic Law pillars. Since Hong Kong returned to the motherland 22 years ago, the declaration, as a historical document, no longer has any practical significance nor any binding force on the central government's administration of Hong Kong SAR.

The matter of Hong Kong can only be addressed by China itself. There’s no international law giving the US the right to interfere in the internal affairs of China. Yet, seeing its limitations in influencing China’s handling of the Hong Kong matter, the US government has been busy inciting radical protesters in Hong Kong.

Pence’s problematic speech is not the only ploy of the US’s meddling in China’s internal affairs. Most recently, the Trump administration announced it would move forward with the sale of 66 F-16 V fighter jets worth $8 billion to Taiwan, adding tensions between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Besides that, Twitter is now deleting content that supports Hong Kong police – an attempt seeking to project a negative image of Hong Kong’s law enforcement officials in the name of “protecting healthy discourse and open conversation” on the Hong Kong protests.

Over the past year, China’s economy has proven to be growing steadily despite the high tariffs imposed by the US government. Looking at the other side, the tax burden falls back on the shoulders of millions of average Americans when they are buying products. Many even face the prospect of losing their jobs in the ongoing trade war between China and the US. In his speech, Pence kept emphasizing how the US economy has benefitted from the administration’s policies since Trump took office in 2016. It’s hard for people not to question the validity of his optimism.

With the looming 2020 presidential election, it should come as no surprise to see more inciting speeches towards China become part of the US political parties’ policies and campaigns. As the second largest economy, China has been reiterating its stance on the trade talks with the US: China would like to find a satisfying solution through open and respectful negotiations. Any deal that compromises China’s interests will not be accepted.