Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:
US bill targets Hong Kong trade offices, drawing ire from
city's government
By Jessie Pang
September 10, 20248:22 PM PDT Updated 4 days ago
HONG KONG, Sept 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives
has passed a bill that could lead to the closure of Hong Kong's economic and
trade offices in the country, drawing condemnation from the government in the
Chinese-ruled city.
The bipartisan Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO)
Certification Act would allow the U.S. president to remove the privileges and
immunities of the trade offices in Washington D.C., New York, and San Francisco
if they are not running with a "high degree of autonomy" from China
and for other purposes.
Under the Act if it's found that the HKETOs no longer merits
such privileges and immunities, they must terminate operations in the United
States no later than 180 days after the certification is delivered to Congress.
The bill was passed overwhelmingly by 413 to 3 on Tuesday.
The legislation must pass the U.S. Senate before it can be sent to President
Joe Biden to be signed into law.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement on Wednesday
that it "strongly condemned" the U.S. House for making use of the Act
"to slander laws on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and smear
the human rights situation in Hong Kong".
"The US House of Representatives' fact-twisting attack
on Hong Kong is politically driven, violates international law and the basic
norms governing international relations, and grossly interferes in the affairs
of Hong Kong," the statement said.
Hong Kong has 14 HKETOs overseas, including in Britain,
Germany, Australia and Canada. In May, Britain arrested and charged three men,
including a manager of HKETOs in the UK on suspicion of assisting Hong Kong's
foreign intelligence service.
Republican Representative Chris Smith, chair of the
Congressional-Executive Commission on China, told a hearing on Tuesday that the
legislation is "a necessary next step in tangibly demonstrating our
solidarity with the persecuted citizens of Hong Kong", including jailed
media tycoon Jimmy Lai, activist Joshua Wong and human rights lawyer Tonyee
Chow.
Anna Kwok, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Democracy
Council, who the government has issued a HK$1 million ($128,000) bounty on the
suspicion of national security offences, said "the bill serves as a
much-needed response to hold the Hong Kong government accountable for their
blatant human-rights abuses".
Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after months of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests that swept the city in 2019. Hong Kong passed an additional new national security law, also known as Article 23, in March.
The China and Hong Kong governments have said the security
laws are necessary for restoring stability to the city.
According to the Security Bureau, more than 300 people have
been arrested under the national security law.
Translation
路透社香港9月11日 - 美國眾議院通過了一項可能導致香港駐香港經濟貿易辦事處關閉的法案，此舉引起了香港政府的譴責。
兩黨簽署的《香港經濟貿易辦事處（HKETO）認證法案》將允許美國總統取消其華盛頓特區、紐約和舊金山貿易辦事處的特權和豁免權，如果它們因中國或出於其他理由沒有“高度自治” 地運作。
根據該法案，如果發現香港經貿辦不再值得此類特權和豁免權，經貿辦必須在國會提交證明後180天內, 終止在美國的業務。
週二，該法案以
413 比 3 的壓倒性優勢獲得通過。在送交總統拜登簽署成為法律前, 該立法必須在美國參議院獲得通過。
香港政府週三發表聲明稱，「強烈譴責」美國眾議院利用該法案「污衊香港維護國家安全的法律，抹黑香港的人權狀況」。
聲明稱，“美國會眾院對香港的歪曲事實攻擊是出於政治目的，違反國際法和國際關係基本準則，粗暴干涉香港事務”。
香港在海外設有14個經貿辦，包括英國、德國、澳洲和加拿大。 5月，英國逮捕並指控三名男子，包括香港駐英國經貿辦的一名經理，罪名是涉嫌協助香港以外的情報部門。
美國國會及行政部門中國委員會主席、共和黨眾議員Chris
Smith在周二的聽證會上表示，這項立法是“必要的下一步，以切實表明我們對受迫害的香港公民的聲援”，其中包括被監禁的媒體大亨黎智英, 活動人士黃之鋒和人權律師Tonyee Chow。
香港民主委員會執行董事Anna Kwok因涉嫌危害國家安全罪被政府懸賞 100 萬港元（合 128,000 美元），她表示：「該法案是去遏制香港政府的必要回應。他們要對公然侵犯人權的行為負責」。
在2019 年席捲香港的民主抗議活動持續數月、有時甚至是有暴力之後，北京於2020 年對香港實施了國家安全法。 香港三月又通過了一項新的國家安全法，又稱為第 23 條。
中國和香港政府表示，安全法對於恢復香港的穩定是必要的。
據保安局稱，已有300多人根據國家安全法被捕。
So, the U.S. has passed a bill that
could lead to the closure of Hong Kong's economic and trade offices in the
country, drawing condemnation from the Hong Kong government. I am wondering how
will the HK government respond to this act which in their mind “violates
international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and
grossly interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong”.
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