BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed on Tuesday the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, moving it a step closer to becoming a law.

The bill would mandate an annual review to assess whether the Chinese city has sufficient autonomy, another classic example of how Washington uses its domestic laws to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Immediately following the passage, China expressed strong indignation and its firm opposition. What Hong Kong faces at present are not so-called issues of human rights and democracy, but the need to end violence and chaos, restore order and uphold the rule of law as soon as possible, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

By turning a blind eye to the violence in Hong Kong, U.S. lawmakers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Senator Ted Cruz fail to see how radical demonstrators have attacked the values they so much cherish.

Under the pretext of protecting so-called human rights and freedom in Hong Kong, these opportunist lawmakers are simply trying to score cheap political points by making getting-tough-on-China headlines.

Moreover, the phony support these U.S. lawmakers claim to have for Hong Kong is very likely to spread hate and bring more violence to the streets of the city.

That violence in Hong Kong boasts an American cheerleader, which was evident when a group of U.S. lawmakers received activists in Washington last month while protesters in Hong Kong waved U.S. national flags. In months after the U.S. bill was introduced in June, the protests turned uglier, with rioters setting fire, vandalizing public facilities, and attacking police and local residents.

Violence and instability have already begun to erode what props Hong Kong as a safe metropolis and global financial hub. Should the bill become law, it would further excite violent protesters to take to the streets, sabotaging efforts in recent months by the Hong Kong government to reclaim stability and prosperity.

Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs. Playing Hong Kong as a card will get the United States nowhere. Should the act eventually become law, it will not only harm China's interests and China-U.S. ties, but also severely undermine the interests of the U.S. firms that depend on the city's social tranquility and economic vitality.

These self-serving U.S. politicians and treacherous attempts to roil Hong Kong will fail on all fronts. The U.S. should quit meddling in China's internal affairs to allow peace and prosperity to reign supreme once again in Hong Kong.