Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday accused foreign governments of “double standards” in their reaction to Beijing’s plans to impose national security laws on the city, pointing to anti-brutality protests police in the United States.
In his first public appearance after Washington said it would remove Hong Kong’s preferential treatment from US law in response to Beijing’s plans, Lam warned countries threatening actions against the city that they could harm their own interests.
“They are very concerned for their own national security, but for our national security … they are looking through tinted glasses,” Lam said at a weekly press conference.
“In the United States, we see how the riots were handled by local governments, compared to the position they took when almost the same riots occurred in Hong Kong last year.”
Having lost patience with Hong Kong after large-scale and often violent protests in the Chinese-led city last year, authorities in Beijing last month advanced plans to introduce laws against the secession, the subversion, terrorism and foreign interference.
Laws could also see Chinese intelligence agencies set up in the global financial center.
President Donald Trump, saying that Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous from Beijing as promised when Britain ceded the territory in 1997, said that Hong Kong would no longer be treated differently from China in law. American.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing insist that rights and freedoms will be preserved, echoed Lam on Tuesday. She said the “public concerns” regarding the legislation were understandable, as a project was not yet finalized.
Police in Washington fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday to disperse peaceful protesters near the White House as Trump vows massive show of force to end violent protests over the death of a black man in custody.
Dozens of American cities have remained under curfew since riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. police in 1968 were also seen joining marches and kneeling in solidarity with protesters.
The Hong Kong protesters mainly demanded universal suffrage and an independent investigation into how the police handled the protests.
Hong Kong, where protesters reject Lam’s description of the protests as riots, has not imposed a curfew. Police were charged with disproportionate use of force, which officials denied.
BEIJING TOUR
In a separate statement, the Hong Kong government said that Ms. Lam will travel to Beijing on Wednesday to share her views on the legislation. Senior justice and security officials, secretaries Teresa Cheng and John Lee, and police chief Chris Tang will join her.
Legislation revived protests in Hong Kong last month, prompting police to shoot pepperballs in the heart of the financial district and make hundreds of arrests.
The protests could continue in the coming days, including against a controversial bill which would criminalize the non-respect of the Chinese national anthem, which should be the subject of a new debate Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly.
Police this week rejected for the first time in three decades a request to hold an annual vigil on June 4 to mark the anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire on protesters in Beijing and around Tiananmen Square, citing coronavirus problems after new local transmissions reported in the city.
Lam has repeatedly stated that a ban on gatherings of more than eight people is intended to maintain social distance and has no political connotations.
The restrictions also threaten plans for the legal organization of anniversary marches for anti-government protests that began in June of last year.
Calls for Hong Kong people to light candles across the city on June 4 and for new protests to take place throughout the month have come online anyway.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
