'Withdraw HK Privileges If Beijing Sends Troops In'

An influential US Congressional commission has urged lawmakers there to pass legislation that would automatically withdraw trade privileges granted to Hong Kong if Beijing sends the military to quell protests here.

In its 2019 annual report, published on Thursday night, the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission says the provisions of the 1992 US-Hong Kong Policy Act should immediately cease to apply if the People's Liberation Army or the People's Armed Police are deployed.

It describes the past five months of protests as the biggest political crisis since the 1997 handover, adding: "China’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s autonomy and its suppression of pro-democracy voices in recent years have fueled opposition, with many protesters now seeing the current demonstrations as Hong Kong’s last stand to preserve its freedoms."

The report calls on the State Department in Washington to set up a set of specific benchmarks to assess whether Hong Kong's promised "high degree of autonomy" is being maintained.

It also calls for an extension of export control measures targetting state-owned mainland companies to their Hong Kong subsidiaries.

"The future direction of Hong Kong – and with it US-Hong Kong policy – will rest upon the outcome of the historic 2019 protest movement and the extent to which the Hong Kong government respects the aspirations of its people to protect the territory’s autonomy," the report concludes.

"Regardless of the outcome, it is clear that Beijing is unwilling to wait until 2047 – when it no longer must abide by the 'one country, two systems' arrangement – to exert its influence over all aspects of Hong Kong’s affairs.

"Given recent developments, US policymakers are starting to prepare for the day when Hong Kong loses the legal protections and democratic freedoms that are key pillars of the US-Hong Kong relationship."

In a response to the report published in the early hours of Friday morning, the Hong Kong government rejected the commission's findings and said foreign legislatures should stay out of the SAR's affairs.

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