I have been quite critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, although often adored by the liberal intelligentsia, rejects NATO burden-sharing and enables Russian President Vladimir Putin's energy blackmail strategy.

Nevertheless, Merkel deserves credit for her comments in China on Friday. She rebuked China for its treatment of Hongkongers and warned that Germany would protect its critical infrastructure from Chinese infiltration. Made on Chinese soil, both statements will enrage Beijing.

On Hong Kong, which is wracked by protests and faces a Chinese military crackdown, Merkel noted that the "freedom and rights of the Hong Kong citizens should be guaranteed and the agreement in 1984 should still be available."

Here, Merkel is referring to the 1984 Sino-British declaration. That agreement, which governed Britain's transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China, requires Beijing to preserve the democratic rights of Hong Kong until at least 2047. Right now, China is in overt breach of that declaration with its effort to dominate Hong Kong's civil and political life.

Even if in a somewhat veiled manner, Merkel deserves credit for reminding China of its obligation to do what it said it would do. And it's important that the leader of a major Western nation is doing this on Chinese soil. As part of its imperialist economic agenda, China pretends to the world that its word is reliable. Merkel is pointing out that the truth is quite the contrary.

And Merkel is probably the best leader to make this case. Because of the United States-China power struggle, President Trump's overt condemnation of China over Hong Kong would likely encourage Chinese President Xi Jinping to take a harsher line there. Xi will not risk being seen by the Communist Party elites as malleable under American warnings.

Merkel will also have upset China by her pledge that, as the South China Morning Post reports, when it comes to Chinese investments, Germany will "maintain scrutiny over strategic sectors and critical infrastructure." That will make Beijing fear that more nations are ready to resist its plan to infect Western telecommunications systems with spy tools.

So, credit where credit is due. Good for her.