China’s parliament has passed sweeping national security legislation for Hong Kong, a measure that sparked pro-democracy protests in the city and prompted the Trump administration to renew threats of imposing sanctions that could jeopardize Hong Kong’s standing as a global financial hub.
The National People’s Congress rubber-stamped the legislation in a 2,878-1 vote Thursday.
The Chinese ruling Communist Party said the legislation, introduced in Beijing last week, will target “secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.”
It’s expected to take several months to work out details before it is enacted.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday told Congress that the US could no longer certify Hong Kong’s autonomy from China, which had been in effect since Britain returned control of the territory in 1997 — a change that could bring sanctions and a repeal of the city’s special trading status.
“Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997,” Pompeo said.
“No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground.”
He said the security measures are “only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms.”
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the “one country, two systems” policy governing Hong Kong would remain in effect.
“The central government has all along fully and faithfully implemented” the system, he said following the legislative session, Bloomberg News reported, adding that the security laws would help “Hong Kong’s long-term stability and prosperity.”
Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, said she fully supports the legislation.
“The law will not affect the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents,” she said. “‘One Country, Two Systems’ has been Hong Kong’s top advantage, and a stable and safe society will provide a favorable business and investment environment. This will help better Hong Kong’s development down the road.”
A pro-democracy lawmaker in Hong Kong said the city will be forever altered.
“This is the death knell for Hong Kong, make no mistake of it, this is the end of ‘one country, two systems’ … the Hong Kong that we loved, a free Hong Kong,” Dennis Kwok told reporters.
Governments in the region reacted with alarm. Japan said it was “seriously concerned” and Taiwan said it would assist Hong Kong residents if they wanted to leave the city.
On Wednesday, China blocked the Trump administration’s call for a meeting of the National Security Council about the national security law.
“This is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council,” the US Mission said in a statement, Bloomberg News reported.
The law, it said, would “threaten Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and civil liberties.”
China, one of five members with veto power, accused the US of being the “troublemaker of the world.”
Even as the parliament passed the controversial legislation, lawmakers in Hong Kong continued debating a bill that would make it a crime to disrespect China’s national anthem.
Three pro-democracy lawmakers were ejected from the chamber after disrupting the session.
“We have wanted to use any method to stop this national anthem law getting passed by this legislature, which is basically controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, because the law is just another way of putting pressure on Hong Kong people,” Eddie Chu, one of the lawmakers ejected, told reporters outside the chamber.
Riot police kept a heavy presence outside the legislative chamber to keep protesters in check.
Still, dozens of demonstrators massed at a shopping mall to chant slogans, but the unrest did not rise to the level of Wednesday’s rallies, when police arrested 360 people.
The protests are a continuation of turmoil that began last year when China proposed legislation that would return suspected criminals in Hong Kong to the mainland for trial.
The legislation was eventually abandoned.
With Post wires