Online petition launched against US act meddling in HK affairs

Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee has launched an online signature campaign appealing to the public to oppose the "Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act" being deliberated by US Congress.

The bill, if passed, would hurt not only Hong Kong, but also the development of a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship between the US and Hong Kong, Ip said.

The campaign, initiated by the chairwoman of the New People's Party, launched on her personal website. Ip is the latest political heavyweight to voice objection to the act.

In a statement on the website, Ip expressed firm opposition to the act and urged the US to stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs.

The bill, which would take effect if approved by the US president after deliberations in Congress, calls for annual reviews of Hong Kong special administrative region's autonomy and emboldens those who "undermine" the city's autonomy.

Ip said the bill has clearly impinged on Hong Kong's autonomy, such as the pace of its democratic development and the enactment of the city's laws on treason, secession, sedition and subversion.

Hong Kong has always enjoyed a high level of autonomy in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law, robust protection of fundamental rights and freedoms and strong rule of law, Ip said.

"We are confident that we as Hong Kong people will be able to satisfactorily manage our own affairs in accordance with the principles of 'one country, two systems' and 'Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy' enshrined in the Basic Law," she said.

Ip cautioned that if the bill is passed by US Congress, it would not only inject uncertainty into international perceptions of Hong Kong's status, but also damage the city's economic and political development, as well as the long-term relationship between the US and Hong Kong.

Since Hong Kong has returned to the motherland in 1997, it has enjoyed special preferential treatment in trade and finance under US laws. The bill proposes to revoke this treatment.

She pointed out that Hong Kong is not the only beneficiary from such an arrangement.

According to public data, there are close to 1,400 US companies and up to 85,000 US citizens in Hong Kong. The act will bite into their lives and hit the interests of the US itself, Ip said.

Compared with the US-Hong Kong Policy Act 1992, another Hong Kong-related act enacted by US Congress in 1992, the current bill is an escalated intervention in Hong Kong affairs, Ip said.

The bill also empowers the US President to impose sanctions on people identified as accountable for undermining fundamental freedom and autonomy in Hong Kong.

The sanctions include financial measures such as blocking US assets and denying visas to those identified and their immediate family members.

In mid-August, Ip and several other Hong Kong lawmakers met with four US congressmen in Montana at the invitation of the US Department of State.

Ip has pledged to forward the petition to US Congress.