BEIJING
(AP) — China reacted furiously Thursday to President Donald Trump’s
signing two bills aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong,
summoning the U.S. ambassador to protest and warning the move would
undermine cooperation with Washington.
Hong
Kong, a former British colony that was granted special autonomy when
China took control in 1997, has been rocked by six months of sometimes
violent pro-democracy demonstrations.
Trump’s
approval of the bills was not unexpected. Neither was the reaction from
Beijing, given China’s adamant rejections of any commentary on what it
considers an internal issue.
Nevertheless, the clash comes at a sensitive time and could upset already thorny trade negotiations between the two nations.
Chinese
Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad
that the move constituted “serious interference in China’s internal
affairs and a serious violation of international law,” a foreign
ministry statement said.
Le
called it a “nakedly hegemonic act.” He urged the U.S. not to implement
the bills to prevent greater damage to U.S.-China relations, the
ministry said.
In
a statement about the meeting, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said “the
Chinese Communist Party must honor its promises to the Hong Kong
people.”
The
U.S. “believes that Hong Kong’s autonomy, its adherence to the rule of
law, and its commitment to protecting civil liberties are key to
preserving its special status under U.S. law,” it said.
The
U.S. laws, which passed both chambers of Congress almost unanimously,
mandate sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who carry out human
rights abuses in Hong Kong, require an annual review of Hong Kong’s
favorable trade status and prohibit the export to Hong Kong police of
certain nonlethal munitions.
“I
signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the
people of Hong Kong,” Trump said in a statement. “They are being enacted
in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong
will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term
peace and prosperity for all.”
In
Hong Kong, thousands of pro-democracy activists crowded a public square
on Thursday night for a “Thanksgiving” rally to thank the United States
for passing the laws and vowed to “march on” in their fight.
Prominent
activist Joshua Wong, who was among those who lobbied for the U.S.
laws, said it was remarkable that human rights had triumphed over the
U.S.-China trade talks. Wong told the rally the next aim is to expand
global support by getting Britain and other Western nations to follow
suit.
Since the
Hong Kong protests began in June, Beijing has responded to expressions
of support for the demonstrators from the U.S. and other countries by
accusing them of orchestrating the unrest to contain China’s
development. The central government has blamed foreign “black hands”
bent on destroying the city.
C.Y.
Leung, a former chief executive of Hong Kong, said at a talk at the
Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong that he doubts the U.S. or
supporters of the bills “ever had the interest of Hong Kong in mind.”
He suggested Hong Kong was being used as a “proxy” for China and the legislation was a way to hit back at Beijing.
While
China has repeatedly threatened unspecified “countermeasures,” it’s
unclear exactly how it will respond. Speaking on Fox News, Trump called
the protests a “complicating factor” in trade negotiations with Beijing.
At
a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
responded to a question about how Trump’s endorsement of the legislation
might affect the trade talks by saying it would undermine “cooperation
in important areas.”
Asked
Thursday if the U.S. legislation would affect trade talks with
Washington, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman said he had no new
information to share.
Recently
both sides expressed confidence they were making headway on a
preliminary agreement to avert a further escalation in a tariff war that
has hammered manufacturers in both nations.
___
Associated Press writers Eileen Ng in Hong Kong and Elaine Kurtenbach in Beijing contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment