US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday delivered the Hong Kong Policy Act Report to the US Congress and announced sanctions on six Chinese mainland and Hong Kong officials, accusing them of “transnational oppression” and degrading the “autonomy of Hong Kong”.

The report inevitably claimed that freedoms in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were deteriorating as a consequence of the implementation of national security laws (NSL).

It is well-established at this point that the US has a history of interference in the affairs of Hong Kong, seeking to undermine political stability in the SAR and fermenting unrest in the name of “human rights and freedom” as part of a broader geopolitical agenda of containing China. As such, the narrative is being pushed that Beijing is a foreign entity and its “influence” in Hong Kong is  illegitimate; therefore it could not possibly have any legitimate national security stakes in the SAR — which, according to this political point of view — must prioritize Western interests and ideologies.

Second, Rubio has long been one of the key figures in the active promotion and backing of unrest in Hong Kong. He has a reputation as a neoconservative and was one of the most dominantly hawkish anti-China senators during his time in Congress, introducing many bills on a wide range of issues regarding China, as well as the bill to impose sanctions on its officials. In 2019, at the peak of the “Black-clad” riots in Hong Kong, Rubio invited key instigators to visit Washington DC, where he met with them and even attempted to have them nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Rubio has had his fingers in almost every anti-China stunt in Washington.

READ MORE: US sanctions slammed as 'hegemonic, bullying tactics'

It is therefore no surprise that since taking the reins at the US Department of State, the nature of its official pronouncements regarding China have become increasingly hostile. Because of this, it is likely that US interference on matters related to Hong Kong will worsen over the next four years, and there is little space for the city’s authorities to let their guard down. For the time being, US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is distracted by his “immediate” priorities, which include efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, to wrap up the conflict in the Middle East, and waging trade wars against multiple countries; but it is highly likely that once those matters are concluded, he will escalate tensions with China on multiple fronts as part of Washington’s geopolitical containment strategy, even as he burns bridges with long-time allies.

READ MORE: HKSAR condemns US interference in judicial proceedings

However, it has been made clear from the get-go that China’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over Hong Kong, or issues pertaining to national security, are not up for debate or compromise. Over the past few years authorities have restored order and stability following extreme unrest that saw a proliferation of lawlessness, violence, and disorder across the city. Again, it should be reiterated that there is no sovereign entity in the world — and certainly not in the US — that would tolerate such behavior, no matter the perceived justice of its cause. In Hong Kong, there is little evidence that things have “deteriorated” because of the implementation of national security laws; with life continuing on as normal, notions about Hong Kong’s “death” or “decline” are sensationalist rhetoric that only serves political purposes.

The author is a British political and international-relations analyst.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.