U.S. Envoy: Security Law Makes A Disaster Of HK's Finance Hub Status

On Monday, the top US diplomat in Hong Kong asked China to relieve political pressure on the city, warning that the "crude and chilling" application of sweeping national security legislation jeopardized the city's status as an international corporate hub, Greg Torode reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Outgoing US Consul General Hanscom Smith said in a farewell speech to the American Chamber of Commerce (ACC) that electoral amendments to guarantee only officially screened "patriots" governed the city had further harmed its future.

Outgoing US Consul General Hanscom Smith said in a farewell speech to the American Chamber of Commerce (ACC) that electoral amendments to guarantee only officially screened "patriots" governed the city had further harmed its future.

"The application of this (security) law has been broad, crude, and chilling," Smith said, adding that the law's ambiguous language had encouraged "fear and coercion" and harmed the city's strong rule of law traditions.

"True patriotism is earned by winning the allegiance of free people, rather than futile efforts to legislate 'patriotism' and loyalty from above," he said.

Under the "one nation, two systems" concept, the former British colony of Hong Kong was restored to Chinese administration in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech. Critics of the national security bill claim that it is being used to silence dissent.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly stated that the law, which Beijing imposed in 2020, is critical to restoring calm after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019, according to Kyodo News.

Both sets of officials have stated that legislative reforms to bolster establishment representation, including limiting direct representation, were also required to improve stability and "patriotic" governance.

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