US Bill on Hong Kong trade offices draws rebuke from city

HONG KONG: Hong Kong lashed out at the US House of Representatives on Wednesday (Sep 11) for passing a Bill that could potentially shut the Chinese city’s trade outposts across the United States.
The US House voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday in favour of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification (HKETO) Act, which would require a review of the privileges, exemptions and immunities enjoyed by the city’s trade offices located in New York, Washington and San Francisco.
The offices would have to shut down within 180 days if they were found not to be operating with “a high degree of autonomy” from China.
The Bill must be passed by the US Senate before it can be signed into effect by President Joe Biden.
However, its House passage drew a sharp rebuke from Hong Kong’s secretary of commerce on Wednesday, who said there was “no reason” for it.
“It is purely political (to) slander the law safeguarding the national security of Hong Kong,” Algernon Yau told reporters.
The Hong Kong government condemned the House of Representatives earlier on Wednesday, saying that its “fact-twisting attack on Hong Kong … grossly interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong”.
China’s foreign ministry also heaped criticism on the Bill, saying on Wednesday that it “deliberately tarnishes Hong Kong’s overseas institutions”.
“We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the US’s hostile actions in manipulating issues related to Hong Kong and suppressing Hong Kong’s development,” spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular briefing.
“China urges the US to stop advancing the Bill to avoid further damage to the stability and development of China-US relations,” she said. “If the US insists on going its own way, China will take practical and effective measures to resolutely counteract it.”
The former British colony was once considered one of the freest corners of China due to a mini-constitution that protected certain rights and freedoms unheard of on the mainland.
But its international standing has fallen in recent years after authorities quashed massive and at times violent protests in 2019 that pushed for more autonomy from Beijing.
To quell dissent, China imposed a security law in 2020 that has effectively silenced opposition in Hong Kong.
The city enacted a second security law, colloquially referred to as “Article 23”, in March to “plug” legislative gaps, targeting other offences such as sedition and espionage.
Its government said the second law was needed to protect Hong Kong’s economy and maintain prosperity, but the United States condemned it for further curtailing freedoms.
The US State Department issued an advisory warning last week about the “new and heightened risks” for businesses operating in Hong Kong because of Article 23.