Hong Kong is not afraid of possible sanctions that the United States has prepared to impose over the city's new security law, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2020) Hong Kong is not afraid of possible sanctions that the United States has prepared to impose over the city's new security law, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the US Commerce Department announced the suspension of preferential treatment of Hong Kong over China, including export license exceptions. In addition, the Department of State announced on Monday that the US was ending exports of defense equipment and sensitive dual-use technologies to Hong Kong, placing them under same restrictions that exist for China. The measures were taken in response to Hong Kong's new security law, passed by China's top legislative body earlier in the day.
"No sanctions can scare us, we are psychologically prepared," Lam said at a briefing, adding that many of the city's industries using these dual-use products are likely to find an alternative, and the restrictions will have with little impact on Hong Kong.
According to the chief executive, if necessary, in response to similar restrictive measures of other countries, Beijing may take countermeasures, and if the central government needs diplomatic assistance from Hong Kong, it will certainly receive it.
The new legislation bans separatist, subversive and terrorist activities, along with any form of foreign interference in Hong Kong. The move is supported by the Hong Kong leadership but has been met by a wave of protests in the city, as some residents fear their rights may be infringed, and abroad. According to Beijing, the new security law aims to punish illegal activities in the city without harming the existing democratic freedoms of locals.
