HONG KONG: Hong Kong lashed out on the US Home of Representatives on Wednesday (Sep 11) for passing a Invoice that might doubtlessly shut the Chinese language metropolis’s commerce outposts throughout the US.
The US Home voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday in favour of the Hong Kong Financial and Commerce Workplace Certification (HKETO) Act, which might require a evaluation of the privileges, exemptions and immunities loved by the town’s commerce workplaces situated in New York, Washington and San Francisco.
The workplaces must shut down inside 180 days in the event that they had been discovered to not be working with “a excessive diploma of autonomy” from China.
The Invoice should be handed by the US Senate earlier than it may be signed into impact by President Joe Biden.
Nevertheless, its Home passage drew a pointy rebuke from Hong Kong’s secretary of commerce on Wednesday, who mentioned there was “no motive” for it.
“It’s purely political (to) slander the regulation safeguarding the nationwide safety of Hong Kong,” Algernon Yau informed reporters.
The Hong Kong authorities condemned the Home of Representatives earlier on Wednesday, saying that its “fact-twisting assault on Hong Kong … grossly interferes within the affairs of Hong Kong”.
China’s international ministry additionally heaped criticism on the Invoice, saying on Wednesday that it “intentionally tarnishes Hong Kong’s abroad establishments“.
“We categorical sturdy dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the US’s hostile actions in manipulating points associated to Hong Kong and suppressing Hong Kong’s improvement,” spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned at a daily briefing.
“China urges the US to cease advancing the Invoice to keep away from additional injury to the steadiness and improvement of China-US relations,” she mentioned. “If the US insists on going its personal means, China will take sensible and efficient measures to resolutely counteract it.”
