Sanctions extension will hurt US business interests, Hong Kong warns Washington
City government slams US President Joe Biden’s signing of bill extending sanctions under 2019 Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
Hong Kong authorities have warned the United States that extending sanctions against local and mainland Chinese officials will “ultimately undermine” American business interests, citing the country’s long-standing trade surplus with the city.
The city government on Thursday slammed US President Joe Biden over his earlier signing of the US National Defence Authorisation Act, annual legislation that finances and directs policy for the country’s military and security agencies for the coming financial year.
The bill includes provisions not directly linked to defence, such as the extension of sanctions against former and current local and mainland officials for another five years under the 2019 Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
The Hong Kong government said the decision would damage US business interests, noting that over the past decade, the country had registered a trade surplus of about US$270 billion with the city. About 1,390 US companies operated in the city, it added.
“If the US insists on its acts, it will ultimately undermine the mutually beneficial relations between Hong Kong and the US, harming the interests of the US and its companies,” a government spokesman said.
Biden signed the US$895 billion National Defence Authorisation Act on Monday, which included extending sanctions against Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who served as the city’s security minister during the 2019 protests, and Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who was leader at the time.
