Demosisto Urges Countries To Follow US Lead On HK

Pro-democracy group Demosisto on Saturday called on countries around the world to follow the United States and back up their concerns about Beijing's move to impose a national security law in Hong Kong with action.

The group was responding to President Donald Trump's early morning announcement that the US would begin eliminating Hong Kong's preferential treatment.

Demosisto's secretary-general Joshua Wong said the group would continue to speak to senior figures on Capitol Hill to get further details of what the US has planned.

"We also encourage more international allies to stand with Hong Kong. Actions speak louder than words. Apart from issuing statements to oppose the national security law, more important is also to enhance different kinds of tools to put pressure on Beijing," Wong said.

Demosisto acknowledged that Washington's move would have some impact on ordinary Hong Kong residents.

But Wong said he believed pro-Beijing politicians and "red capital" would be the targets of any US action.

The group's former lawmaker Nathan Law said this was the cost Hong Kong had to bear in order to stop the national security law from being imposed in the SAR.

"If we do nothing and the national security law is implemented in Hong Kong, that would be the most nightmarish outcome," Law said.

"If we could stop the national security law, even though we have to face certain sanctions, I think lots of Hong Kong people would recognise it as some cost that we have to pay... Beijing actually leaves us no choice," he added.