US Proposed Sanctions on Hong Kong Officials Predicted to Not Derail Xi-Biden Meeting Despite Outcry from Hong Kong Government
Experts Anticipate Increased Political Pressure on Hong Kong Ahead of US Presidential Elections as US Proposes Sanctions on 49 Hong Kong Officials Including Judges and Prosecutors for Alleged Human Rights Violations.
- The proposed US legislation to sanction 49 Hong Kong officials and legal figures for alleged human rights violations is not expected to derail the upcoming meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, according to academics and a former American diplomat. This legislation is considered an alternative to imposing comprehensive sanctions on Hong Kong, which is deemed very unlikely.
- The proposed sanctions would be seen as a provocative move that could damage prospects of improvement in relations between China and the US. However, this does not rule out that Hong Kong may face heightened political pressure in the lead up to the next US presidential elections.
- Officials named in the bipartisan Hong Kong Sanctions Act include Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, and Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee, among others. The bill, if passed, would require the US president to decide within 180 days if sanctions are to be imposed.
- The proposed sanctions have been condemned by the Hong Kong government and the Chinese foreign ministry's office in the city. They stated that the bill represents action by Congress members and not the US government, and therefore should not affect the Xi-Biden meeting.
- The bill is met with strong opposition from the Hong Kong judiciary and government, who described such actions as attempts to undermine the city's rule of law and insisted that everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to a fair hearing.
South China Morning Post 
Reuters 
