Beijing vows retaliation if US closes HK trade offices

Efforts by the United States House of Representatives to advance a bill that could lead to the closure of Hong Kong's trade offices in the US would trigger countermeasures, Chinese authorities warned on Wednesday.

The US plan also sparked widespread condemnation in Hong Kong, with officials and lawmakers criticizing it as a "fact-twisting" and "politically driven" maneuver aimed at containing China.

On Tuesday, the US House passed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act, which empowers the US secretary of state to close the three trade offices of Hong Kong in New York, San Francisco and Washington if they are found to be operating without a "high degree of autonomy" from China.

The bill still needs to undergo deliberation in the US Senate before being signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday stated that China strongly opposes the legislation, which aims to manipulate issues related to Hong Kong and suppress the special administrative region's development.

Mao said that the SAR government's economic and trade offices in the US play a proactive role in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between Hong Kong and the US. The bill politicizes and weaponizes economic and trade matters against China, deliberately smearing Hong Kong's overseas institutions.

The spokesperson noted that China has lodged solemn representations with the US, urging it to cease advancing the bill to prevent greater harm to the stability and development of Sino-US relations. If the US persists in promoting it, China will take resolute countermeasures.

A spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of China's Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR said that the US, driven by the "Cold War mentality", risks imperiling US and international enterprises.

The office noted that in fact, the US enjoys significant economic benefits in Hong Kong. The US has realized a trade surplus of $271.5 billion with Hong Kong over the past 10 years, the largest among its global trading partners, and more than 1,200 US companies have set up businesses in the city, the spokesperson added.

The Hong Kong government denounced the bill as a display of double standards. It pointed out that despite the US possessing stringent national security laws, the act slanders the just and legitimate objective of the implementation of national security laws in Hong Kong. It also disregards the constitutional obligations and inherent rights of the city's government to safeguard national security and distorts the truth that human rights and the rule of law are properly protected in accordance with the law.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah noted that the three offices operate lawfully to address the needs for economic and trade development and engage with local authorities, businesses and think tanks. If the bill becomes law, it will not benefit any party but instead will cause unnecessary disruption and inconvenience to all involved.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convener of Hong Kong's Executive Council, said if the bill becomes law, it will not only impact economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and the US, but also undermine the "one country, two systems" principle.

She urged US authorities to refrain from endorsing such legislation, considering the substantial commercial interests the US maintains in Hong Kong and the potential countermeasures China might take.

However, she said she does not anticipate similar actions from other countries and regions where Hong Kong has set up similar offices. She said the offices conduct foreign trade operations within the bounds of the law and engage in crucial trade negotiations with local governments.

Hong Kong lawmaker Edward Leung Hei emphasized that the SAR's three offices in the US have complied with local regulations, resulting in mutual benefit. However, the bill maliciously attacks these offices and even threatens to close them, which will eventually harm the interests of the US and its companies.

He urged the US government and politicians to value their country's economic ties with Hong Kong and foster a win-win situation for people from both sides.

On Wednesday afternoon, some local groups protested against the bill outside the US Consulate General in Hong Kong Central, condemning the numerous sanctions by the country as mere political grandstanding.

amberwu@chinadailyhk.com