Recently, US Senator Mitch McConnell published a commentary in the Wall Street Journal titled “We Stand with Hong Kong,” blaming Beijing for the chaos that has rocked the city for three months. The op-ed comes on the heels of a host of public statements by US lawmakers, demonstrating that Hong Kong has become a tool in their game against China.

In the article, McConnell said the turmoil is the result of Beijing’s systematic ratcheting up of its domestic oppression and its pursuit of hegemony abroad. He also wrote that every trading nation and democracy that values individual liberty and privacy has a stake here, saying their choice is not between the US and China but between a free, fair international system and the internal oppression, surveillance, and modern vassal system China seeks to impose.

By casting the Hong Kong problem as a frontline in a fight between a US-led world order and a rising China, US senators like McConnell have made it clear that they see the unrest in Hong Kong as an opportunity to stir up anti-China sentiment and spread the wings of Western-style democracy in Asia.

At a regular press conference on March 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang blamed such US lawmakers for sending wrong signals. He pointed out that instead of condemning the increasing levels of violence by radical protesters in Hong Kong, they have criticized the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for trying to stop the violence and restore order in the city.

Geng also referenced Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President, who is often credited with saying, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time,” to make a point about deception. He said the US lawmakers should heed these words of wisdom and stop smearing China and instigating Hong Kong’s radical protesters.

Anti-China sentiment in Washington is rising, as some see China’s rise as a threat to US hegemony, but it is hypocrisy at its worst to blame Beijing for the chaos while interfering in Hong Kong affairs under the guise of democracy. Along with containment, democracy promotion is a guiding principle of US foreign policy—part of a larger playbook to remake the world in the image of America, and the comments from US lawmakers about Hong Kong suggest that Washington is intent on remaking China in its image.

The chaos in Hong Kong has only escalated, with protesters resorting to acts that are more radical. Just this weekend, radical protesters hurled bricks and petrol bombs at police officers and brutally assaulted them. The scene became so dangerous that a Hong Kong police officer fired a warning shot into the air. However, rather than condemn the violence, the US side has chosen to incite chaos with a host of wrong signals to radical protesters.

There is no denying the fact that Hong Kong is part of China. As a part of China, Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs. While there are problems in Hong Kong to resolve, the United States has no business sticking its nose into Hong Kong affairs and trying to steer the protests in an anti-Beijing direction. US lawmakers like McConnell say they stand with Hong Kong, but they just stand with those who will further their anti-China agenda.