Sanctions won’t help
1 min read . Updated: 28 May 2020, 11:48 PM ISTIt is clear that Beijing ought not to have reneged on its promise of one country, two systems that assured Hong Kongers some democratic rights as part of a 1997 treaty with the UK
The US no longer considers Hong Kong autonomous from China, a declaration that drew an angry response from the People’s Republic on Thursday and threatens to ratchet up tensions across the Pacific. The US observation was triggered by China’s move to impose a national security law in Hong Kong, which has sparked violent anti-mainland protests in the former British colony. Now Washington might deprive Hong Kong of its special economic status under a US law that granted it trading privileges and some tariff and visa exemptions. The island province could also lose access to high-end US technologies.
It isn’t fully clear how far the US would go in revoking Hong Kong’s special status. But the threat is high, given the poor state of US-China relations. It is clear that Beijing ought not to have reneged on its promise of “one country, two systems" that assured Hong Kongers some democratic rights as part of a 1997 treaty with the UK. The British withdrawal was conditional. Today, China seems to see itself as a regional hegemon. It brooks little dissent, as seen in its repression of Hong Kong residents. But will US sanctions modify its behaviour? Unlikely.
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