Andrew McClure NSI Visiting Fellow & Principal, ForgePoint Capital

“Today the CCP moved to deny Hong Kong autonomy guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and fundamentally altered the city’s special status to the mainland.  Beijing’s actions – couched to thwart sedition, secession or subversion – are designed to chill many freedoms in Hong Kong not enjoyed on the mainland and snuff out a democracy movement (quieted amidst the global pandemic) that has posed political challenges to China’s authoritarian leader.

By circumventing the Hong Kong legislative body to pass a new national security law, China’s National People’s Congress failed to adhere to a process stipulated in Hong Kong’s Basic Law or live up to obligations under the UN-filed treaty.  The message to countries around the world is this:  can the Chinese Communist Party be trusted to honor its commitments.

For the people of Hong Kong, the move could spell the demise, in effect, of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy that has fostered the rule to law and created an attractive business climate as the gateway to China.  Posting mainland security forces openly in the city has only one purpose – to intimidate those unwilling to bend to the Party.

Chinese leaders seem to believe there is little the U.S. or others can do in response.  With Secretary of State Pompeo decertifying Hong Kong’s status of autonomy under the Human Rights and Democracy Act, the U.S. is obliged to reconsider Hong Kong’s special trade status.  But lifting tariff exclusions on the city is likely to be counter-productive, undermining interests in Hong Kong rather than retaliating against Beijing for their increasingly revisionist actions.”