Latest news with #RaymondSiuChak-yee
South China Morning Post
02-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Once again, pointless sanctions are imposed on Hong Kong by America
It's hard to fathom what Washington hopes to gain realistically by sanctioning six more senior Hong Kong officials. But US vindictiveness knows no bounds. The United States is still smarting over its inability to exploit Hong Kong as an international hub for foreign espionage and interference after the introduction of the national security law. Advertisement Its latest local victims? Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and retired police commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee; Sonny Au Chi-kwong, secretary general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; Dong Jingwei, director of Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security in the city; and assistant police commissioners Dick Wong Chung-chun and Margaret Chiu Wing-lan. Their crimes? For enforcing the law – sorry, in the words of the US State Department, for 'undermining Hong Kong's autonomy' and carrying out 'acts of transnational repression'. There is no international treaty guaranteeing 'Hong Kong's autonomy' as a Chinese city, so it's hard to see what the US means by 'contravention of China's commitments'. Perhaps the US is referring to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a bilateral treaty between those two countries where 'a high degree of autonomy' is promised. But how high or low? Presumably that's something for the two sides who actually signed the treaty to decide. Advertisement Funny, though, that Washington thinks it can interject in any international treaty in which it took no part. But if so, the principle of reciprocity ought to apply for other countries. Perhaps China and the rest of the world should take action against any US breaches of international treaties. There have been breaches of Washington's joint trade treaty with Mexico and Canada, its obligations under the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization, and its unilateral undermining of a multinational agreement to limit Iran's nuclear development. The list is long.
Al-Ahram Weekly
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
US imposes sanctions on Hong Kong top cop, justice secretary - International
The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's police chief and five other officials over human rights concerns after China clamped down in the financial hub. The sanctions on Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and the others will block any interests they hold in the United States and generally criminalize financial transactions with them under US law. The sanctions mark a rare action invoking human rights by the administration of President Donald Trump, who has described China as an adversary but has shown no reluctance to ally with autocrats. The sanctions "demonstrate the Trump administration's commitment to hold to account those responsible for depriving people in Hong Kong of protected rights and freedoms or who commit acts of transnational repression on US soil or against US persons," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. Other officials targeted in the latest sanctions include Paul Lam, the city's secretary of justice. Hong Kong's top official, Chief Executive John Lee, is already under US sanctions. The officials were targeted in line with a US law that champions Hong Kong democracy. The State Department also pointed to some of the officials' roles in efforts to "intimidate, silence and harass 19 pro-democracy activists" who fled overseas, including one US citizen and four US residents. Rubio has been outspoken on China's human rights record dating back to his time as a senator. Rubio earlier also imposed sanctions on officials in Thailand over their deportations back to China of members of the Uyghur minority. Beijing promised a separate system to Hong Kong when Britain handed over the financial hub in 1997. China then cracked down hard against dissent, imposing a draconian national security law, after massive and at times destructive protests in favor of democracy swept the city in 2019. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Beijing vows retaliation over new round of US sanctions on officials in Hong Kong
Beijing has vowed to retaliate against the United States for sanctioning six officials, including Hong Kong's justice secretary and outgoing police chief, over the 'transnational repression' of opposition activists under national security legislation Advertisement The Hong Kong government and China's foreign affairs arm in the city on Tuesday both condemned the latest round of US sanctions, while defending Hong Kong's use of national security legislation to pursue 19 activists overseas, including an American citizen and another four of the country's residents. 'The so-called 'sanctions' from the US have once again exposed its ulterior motive to damage Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, as well as suppress China's development,' a spokesman for the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said. 'China must take effective measures to resolutely retaliate.' The US earlier announced its second round of sanctions against officials in Hong Kong, five years after Washington imposed economic sanctions on 11 local and mainland Chinese officials over the Beijing-imposed national security law. Advertisement The latest officials to be sanctioned include Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee, who is expected to retire after his term expires on Tuesday.
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Beijing vows retaliation over second round of US sanctions on Hong Kong officials
Central and local authorities have slammed the United States for sanctioning Hong Kong's justice secretary, outgoing police chief and four other officials over 'transnational repression' under the city's national security legislation , with Beijing vowing to retaliate. Advertisement The Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong and the city government on Tuesday condemned the latest round of US sanctions, while defending Hong Kong's use of its national security legislation to pursue 19 activists overseas, including an American citizen and another four of the country's residents. 'The so-called 'sanctions' from the US have once again exposed its ulterior motive to damage Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, as well as suppress China's development,' a spokesman for the country's foreign affairs arm in Hong Kong said. 'China must take effective measures to resolutely retaliate.' The US earlier announced its second round of sanctions against officials in Hong Kong, five years after Washington imposed economic sanctions on 11 local and mainland Chinese officials over the Beijing-imposed national security law. Advertisement The latest officials to be sanctioned include Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok and Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee, who is expected to retire after his term expires on Tuesday.
South China Morning Post
31-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US sanctions Hong Kong police chief, five others, for ‘freedoms' abuse
The US imposed sanctions on Hong Kong's departing police chief and five other officials on Monday, saying they had undermined the semi-autonomous city's 'protected rights and freedoms'. Advertisement The sanctions against Hong Kong Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and other high-ranking officials announced on Monday will freeze any assets they have in the US and restrict any financial transactions with them under US law. The sanctions were imposed on Chiu a day before he retires on Tuesday. Citing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his first term, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move demonstrated 'the Trump administration's commitment to hold to account those responsible for depriving people in Hong Kong of protected rights and freedoms or who commit acts of transnational repression on US soil'. Rubio also referred to the most recent edition of the department's Hong Kong Policy Report, released along with the sanctions announcement, saying that Trump remained committed to taking action in response to what his administration sees as an erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy. Decades ago, Beijing pledged to keep the city's governance largely under local control for 50 years after its sovereignty reverted to mainland China from Britain on July 1, 1997. Advertisement But after the Chinese government imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 following more than a year of protests over a proposed extradition agreement with the mainland, Washington, along with many dissidents and other critics, considered the law – as well as the subsequent crackdown on local protesters – to break that pledge. The 2020 policy report determined that Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous.
