HK Government Condemns US Bills On Hong Kong

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Thursday expressed strong opposition to the passage of Hong Kong-related acts after the bills were approved by the US Senate

HK Government Condemns US Bills On Hong Kong/ Photo: Getty Images

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a pro-Hong Kong rights bill by near 417-1 unanimous margins amid crackdowns on months of anti-government protests. The chamber approved a measure that is meant to protect human rights in Hong Kong. Though the bill is yet to go before US President Donald Trump for consideration, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Thursday expressed strong opposition to the passage of Hong Kong-related acts after the bills were approved by the US Senate. Post House passage, both pieces of legislation wait for Trump’s approval but the White House has not yet revealed where the president stands on the bills. President Trump faces a tricky time ahead as U.S.-China relations will worsen if he signs a pro-Hong Kong rights bill into law. "The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the other act on Hong Kong not only interfered in Hong Kong's internal affairs, but sent a wrong signal to violent protesters and would not help calm down the current situation in Hong Kong," the HKSAR government said in a statement. An HKSAR government spokesperson on Wednesday said that those acts are unnecessary and unwarranted and will harm the relations between the two sides and their common interests, Xinhua reported. The US has enormous economic interests in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said. "It has in the past 10 years earned the largest worldwide bilateral trade surplus with Hong Kong amongst other trade partners, at over $33 billion in 2018." Any unilateral change of US economic and trade policy towards Hong Kong will create negative impact on the relations between the two sides as well as US own interests, the spokesperson said. Hong Kong and the US also have close cooperation in export control and law enforcement, according to the spokesperson. The spokesperson urged efforts from the US government to stop the acts from becoming laws. The spokesperson reiterated that foreign legislatures should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of Hong Kong. (With IANS inputs)