China has vowed to take “all necessary countermeasures” if the United States follows through on legislation that penalizes banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement Hong Kong’s new draconian national security law.
Friday’s warning came after the United States Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Law, sending it to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature.
“This American movement has seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs and has seriously violated international law as well as the basic rules governing international relations,” said the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China.
“If the American side is bent on taking the wrong path, China will respond resolutely with all necessary countermeasures.”
Beijing has faced a wave of criticism for its decision to impose a law prohibiting acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy protesters in the city, as well as foreign governments, say the law violates the “one country, two systems” principle enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British treaty guaranteeing Hong Kong’s autonomy.
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China stands firm on enforcement of Hong Kong security law (2:36) |
The law has raised alarm among democracy activists and rights groups. Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, dissolved hours after the legislation was passed, while prominent group member Nathan Law said on Friday it had left the global financial center.
The 26-year-old man said he made the decision to leave after criticizing the new law at a hearing in the United States Congress which he attended on Wednesday via live broadcast. “Of course, I knew that my speech and appearance would seriously jeopardize my own safety under the circumstances,” he wrote on Twitter.
“As an activist facing the world, the options I have are stark: keep silent from now on or continue to engage in private diplomacy so that I can warn the world of the threat of Chinese authoritarian expansion. I made the decision when I agreed to testify before the Congress of the United States. “
Sarah Clarke of Al Jazeera, reporting from Hong Kong, said Law did not close his whereabouts for security reasons and that he is “just one of several political figures who have fled as a result of the national security law.”
“Joshua Wong and prominent Demosisto member Agnes Chow, we don’t know where they are at the moment. We believe they should be in town as they face criminal charges and are not allowed to leave as a result.”
Wong and Chow face charges of participating in an illegal assembly in August last year, during mass protests against a now-withdrawn extradition project with mainland China. It was these demonstrations, which lasted for months and sometimes turned into violence, prompting Beijing’s decision to impose the security law.
Nathan Law, center, passes by the media outside the Final Court of Appeal in Hong Kong [Isaac Lawrence/ AFP]
Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law, which bypasses the Hong Kong legislature, is necessary to restore order and stability in the city and will only target a handful of “troublemakers.”
Meanwhile, in the meantime, the Hong Kong local government confirmed that a popular protest slogan used for the past year: “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time” was now illegal.
The battle cry appears on banners at demonstrations, is printed on clothing and accessories, and is scrawled on sticky notes on city walls.
“The slogan” Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times “currently connotes” Hong Kong independence “, or separate the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) from the People’s Republic of China, altering the legal status of HKSAR, or subverting state power, “the government said in a statement Thursday night.
On Wednesday, the 23rd anniversary of the move from the former British colony to Chinese rule, police arrested some 370 people during protests over the legislation, 10 of which involved violations of the new law.
The UK has announced plans to allow millions of British overseas Hong Kong citizens to relocate with their families and eventually apply for citizenship. Australia said it was considering a similar action, while Taiwan opened an office to help Hong Kong people who want to flee the city.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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