The respondents cited the national security law as the No. The red lines are vague and seem to be arbitrary. I reached out to employees in multinational firms and business owners who currently and previously worked in Hong Kong; most did not want to comment or declined to speak on the record over concerns about the impact on their jobs. In a lot of ways, it showed how uncertain the situation feels right now. For China, the chilling of dissent, having people worried about what they will say or do, is kind of the point.
This is the have-its-cake-and-eat-it-too strategy. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Billy H. The pressures are there. President Donald Trump signed into law two bills passed by the U. Congress, i. These bills accuse China's central government of undermining the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong, authorize the U. President to impose sanctions such as inadmissibility to the United States and asset blocking against relevant Chinese officials, require the U.
Secretary of State to submit a report regarding Hong Kong affairs on a yearly basis, and prohibit U. On 14 July , then U. President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which requires the imposition of sanctions with respect to the foreign individuals or entities involved in the so-called erosion of certain obligations of China with respect to Hong Kong and foreign financial institutions that conduct significant transactions with those individuals or entities.
It also supported permanent residents of Hong Kong who have been "persecuted" to enter the United States. On the same day, Trump signed the President's Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization, which determined that the situation with respect to Hong Kong constitutes a threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.
He declared a national emergency on that basis, which included measures to suspend or eliminate the different and preferential treatment for Hong Kong, and to authorize sanctions against entities and individuals with respect to Hong Kong. House of Representatives introduced a resolution condemning the so-called "continued violation of rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong by the People's Republic of China PRC and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region", which slandered the efforts made by China's central government and the HKSAR government to uphold the rule of law, maintain order and stability and protect the life, property and safety of Hong Kong residents.
The resolution was adopted by the House on 19 April. The U. Congress is considering several other ill-intentioned bills regarding Hong Kong:.
On 18 March , Senator Rubio introduced a resolution condemning the so-called "crackdown by the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, including the arrests of pro-democracy activists and repeated violations of the obligations of that Government undertaken in the Sino-British Declaration of and the Hong Kong Basic Law".
On 30 June , Republican Representative Tom Malinowski introduced the Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of , calling for providing protected status to those who oppose China and provoke instability as well as law breakers and offenders in Hong Kong and for enhancing protocols to facilitate their travels to the United States.
On 29 May , then U. President Trump announced revocation of the special status and preferential economic treatment for Hong Kong. On 29 June , then U.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the immediate end of exports of U. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a statement, officially revoking Hong Kong's special status in trade, banning exports of dual-use high-tech products to Hong Kong, and stating that further actions to eliminate differential treatment for Hong Kong were also being evaluated.
On 30 June , the U. Department of Commerce announced the suspension of license exceptions for exports to Hong Kong, banning exports of U. On 7 August , the U. On 11 August , the U. Department of Homeland Security announced that after 25 September , imported goods produced in Hong Kong may no longer be marked to indicate "Hong Kong" as their origin, but must be marked to indicate "China". On 19 August , the U. Department of State announced the suspension or termination of three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong covering the surrender of fugitive offenders, the transfer of sentenced persons, and reciprocal tax exemptions on income derived from the international operation of ships.
On 14 October , the U. Department of State submitted its first report to Congress pursuant to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, listing 10 officials of China's central government and the HKSAR government as "persons undermining the autonomy of Hong Kong" and threatening to impose sanctions on financial institutions related to these individuals. On 9 November , the U. Department of State announced sanctions on four officials of China's central government and the HKSAR government for "threatening the peace, security and autonomy of Hong Kong".
On 7 December , the U. On 15 January , then U. Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement, announcing sanctions on six officials of China's central government and the HKSAR government for arresting 55 so-called "pro-democracy politicians and activists" by Hong Kong police.
On 16 March , the U. Department of State updated its Hong Kong Autonomy Act report, announcing an updated list of sanctioned individuals and additional financial sanctions following the NPC's decision to improve the electoral system of Hong Kong and implement the Hong Kong National Security Law. On 7 July , the White House issued a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Hong Kong, announcing the continuation of the so-called national emergency declared with respect to the Hong Kong situation, and extended U.
On 16 July , the U. In addition, new sanctions were announced on seven officials of the central government's liaison office in the HKSAR. On the same day, U. On 25 February , then U. Consul General to Hong Kong Kurt Tong expressed in an interview his concerns about the HKSAR government's plan to introduce amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, saying that an amendment could have some impact on the implementation of the bilateral arrangements between the United States and Hong Kong.
On 21 March , the U. Department of State released Hong Kong Policy Act Report alleging that freedom of expression in Hong Kong was facing setbacks, and that the increased intervention by China's central government in Hong Kong affairs had "adversely impacted Hong Kong in multiple areas". Finally, both sides agreed to use the following formulations in the form of a Joint Declaration: The Chinese government declared that "the Government of the People's Republic of China has decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from 1 July The two sides reached agreement on all the issues on September 18, and initialed the Sino-British Joint Declaration and its three annexes.
This brought the two-year old Sino-British negotiation on Hong Kong to a successful conclusion. On May 27, , the Chinese and British governments exchanged instruments of ratification, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration formally entered into force. Following the signing of the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong entered the transitional period.
Generally, the Chinese and British governments had good cooperation during the transitional period and resolved many important issues. The British side, however, in a bid to accomplish its "honorary retreat" from Hong Kong, sought to change the political system in Hong Kong under the name of expanding democracy and attempted to impose it on the Chinese side.
With this in mind, Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, introduced a plan of political reform. The Chinese government rejected the plan with a firm and yet measured response, ensuring the smooth transition of Hong Kong and the transfer of its power.
At midnight, June 30, , the Chinese and British governments held a power transferring ceremony in Hong Kong at which the Chinese government formally resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong. Hong Kong's return to China marks the success of applying Deng Xiaoping's concept of "one country, two systems" to resolve the Hong Kong issue and an important step forward in the cause of China 's reunification. It also contributed to world peace and stability.
In his speech delivered at the power transferring ceremony, President Jiang Zemin emphasized that after Hong Kong is returned to China, the Chinese government will firmly pursue the basic policy of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and ensuring a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong. The existing social and economic systems in Hong Kong and its way of life will remain unchanged. He expressed the confidence that with the strong backing of the entire Chinese people, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the people in Hong Kong can certainly run Hong Kong well, ensure its long-term prosperity and stability and create a bright future for Hong Kong.
Suggest to a friend Print. Related News:. Suggest to a friend. What has bothered her though, is that her uncertain future has made it impossible for her to take on new cases at her law firm.
No one has been harassed for taking on national security law cases. But they avoid these cases as they want to do business with mainland [Chinese] clients. Meanwhile, journalism is another sector feeling the heat.
In December, a cable TV network fired 40 staff members in what was deemed a political crackdown. At the public broadcaster RTHK, at least six popular programmes have been axed, online archive contents have been removed, and staff have been ordered to use Beijing-approved language. As a feature writer, one big challenge that Leung currently faces is finding people who will talk to her — most prominent pro-democracy figures are now in jail, and ordinary people are also fearful about speaking openly because of the security law.
Leung has imagined being arrested herself, but she tries not to let the law get the better of her. She is currently publishing a series of articles about Hongkongers involved in the movement.
Today you still hear some people say June 4th [the date of the Tiananmen Square massacre] never happened. In the latter part of the protest movement, many pro-movement employees from different sectors formed new trade unions. Consequently, the total number of registered unions shot up to 1, in from in For a while, there was a hope that trade unions could become a force to be reckoned with in capitalistic Hong Kong, where the culture of labour unions is weak.
The optimism proved short-lived. The current political climate is putting many unionists on tenterhooks. Activities they used to take for granted, including staging protests, criticising authorities and seeking solidarity abroad, could now get them into trouble. Two HKCTU core members are already locked up: chairperson Carol Ng is remanded in custody for breaching the security law, while general secretary Lee Cheuk-yan is serving 20 months in prison for protest-related charges.
Chief executive Mung Siu-tat recently fled Hong Kong. In July and August, it became clear that trade unions are also a main target.
The allegorical ebooks portray protesters in the movement as sheep in a village surrounded by menacing wolves.
0コメント