From WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, the United States appears to be at its wit's end on how to put a lid on the damning leaks by whistleblowers. Each time, by hook or by crook, it tries to catch and incriminate the whistleblower without addressing the core issues that have been exposed. This is not a responsible approach to such crises.

Uncle Sam is criticizing others for not answering its calls to hand over the ex-CIA employee. On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney went even further, saying that the government's "deliberate choice" to let Snowden leave the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was a "serious setback" for US efforts to forge relations of trust with China.

Such remarks are unacceptable as well as absurd. The US has no reason to complain about the HKSAR government's lawful handling of the case, which it outlined in a clear statement on Sunday.