In the end, China even summoned the US ambassador to Beijing for a diplomatic escalation. Apparently that did not seem to make any impression. Because now US President Donald Trump has signed the almost unanimous by Congress adopted laws to support the democracy movement in Hong Kong. This was announced by the White House on Wednesday evening (local time).
However, the government will treat parts of the laws in a differentiated manner so as not to undermine the presidential authority on foreign policy, Trump wrote. At first the White House did not explain to which passages the restriction referred.
The laws were designed to encourage Chinese and Hong Kong officials to "settle their differences amicably to achieve lasting peace and prosperity for all," said Trump.
The US Congress condemned the democracy movement in the Chinese Special Administrative Region last Wednesday and approved two draft laws. They now enter into force with Trump's signing. China had asked Trump to veto the laws, threatening the US with "harsh countermeasures."
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So far, the US president has withheld criticism of China's crackdown on the democracy movement in Hong Kong. He seeks to reach an agreement with Beijing in the one-and-a-half-year trade war of the two largest economies. The new law is unlikely to help soften the fronts.
Annual reports are intended to disclose the situation in Hong Kong
In a Trump veto against the two laws, however, he would have expected to be overruled with a two-thirds majority in both Congress chambers. That would have been a novelty in Trump's term.
The US Congress had adopted Hong Kong's "Human Rights and Democracy Decree" despite fierce protests and threats from Beijing with only one vote against the House of Representatives. Among other things, the law threatens economic sanctions that could deprive Hong Kong of its preferential treatment of US economic and trade policies with China.
For this purpose, annual reports from the State Department to the Congress are planned as to whether Hong Kong is still sufficiently autonomous from China to further justify its preferential treatment. Civil rights should be given special consideration.
China's accusation: law is to overthrow Hong Kong into chaos
The law also provides for the President to impose sanctions on individuals held responsible for serious human rights violations in Hong Kong. Another law banning the export of tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and handcuffs to Hong Kong police was unanimously approved by the House and Senate.
China Foreign Minister Wang Yi had criticized the proposed legislation as "condoning tacit violent criminals." The "Human Rights and Democracy Ordinance" is an open intervention in China's internal affairs. Basically, it's about throwing Hong Kong further into chaos or even destroying it.
The protests in Hong Kong have been going on for five months. Since its return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been autonomously ruled by China's sovereignty under the "one country, two systems" principle. Unlike the people of the Communist People's Republic, Hong Kong's seven million citizens enjoy far-reaching rights such as freedom of assembly and expression. But now they fear that their freedoms will be increasingly limited.
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