Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law is calling on the international community to stand up to the authoritarianism of China’s President Xi Jinping and put human rights above financial gain.
Law told Reuters news agency Thursday that China's unveiling of a national security law this week, which punishes any acts against China, marks the end of the “one country two systems” principle that guaranteed the territory’s autonomy because “there is no more two systems, no more firewall between the system in Hong Kong and China.”
Law said the international community should recognize the significance of the law and adopt steps to hold China accountable.
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule. Britain says the national security law breaches the agreements made at the time of the handover and that China is crushing the freedoms that have helped make Hong Kong one of the world's biggest financial centers.
Both chambers of the U.S Congress approved bills that would penalize individuals or companies for conducting business with Chinese officials responsible for implementing Beijing’s new national security law in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law, would impose mandatory sanctions on people or entities that materially contribute to China's failure to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy.
