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Beijing vows to retaliate after US’ Hong Kong human rights bill is approved by congressional committees

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By Catherine Wong, South China Morning Post, 26 September 2019, Read the original article here.

  • Foreign ministry spokesman says the bill is a malicious attempt to contain China’s rise
  • Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act progressed through Senate and House committees on Wednesday
China said it would “hit back forcefully” at the United States after the US Congress officially pushed ahead with a bill to support democratic freedoms in Hong Kong by putting pressure on Chinese authorities.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 moved through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, setting the stage for votes in both chambers in the coming weeks.

The bill could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against the Hong Kong government. If passed, it would, among other actions, require the US to sanction Chinese officials deemed responsible for “undermining basic freedoms in Hong Kong” and require the US president to review Hong Kong’s special economic status.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a statement on Thursday that the bill was an attempt to “wantonly interfere in China’s domestic affairs” and had shown the “malicious intention of some in the US Congress to contain China’s development”.

“Passing the bill will only encourage the radical and violent forces in Hong Kong and send Hong Kong further into chaos,” Geng said. “It will harm not only China’s interests, but also the US’ interests.

A separate statement from the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the bill was intended to support anti-China forces and rioters in Hong Kong, which would “pour oil on the flame”.

It described the Hong Kong people who demanded the passage of the bill as “traitors”.

Meanwhile, a commentary by state news agency Xinhua accused the US of staging a colour revolution in Hong Kong, using human rights and democracy as the pretext.

The city has seen over three months of mass anti-government protests triggered by opposition to a now-shelved extradition bill that would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to the mainland.

The bill passed the House committee in a unanimous vote, said Jeff Sagnip, policy director for Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican who sponsored the legislation in the lower chamber.

An identical version of the bill in the Senate, sponsored by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, was approved by the upper chamber committee soon afterwards.

“Getting out of the committee is the big step,” said Sagnip, who added that “a floor vote [in the full House of Representatives] will take place sometime in October”, most likely soon after Columbus Day, a US holiday, on October 14.

The legislation is intended to act as an amendment to the US-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which kept US business and other ties to the city intact after its 1997 handover from Britain to China.


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