'Clear message': US Senate backs Hong Kong human rights bill

4 Yrs Ago
'Clear message': US Senate backs Hong Kong human rights bill
A protester, one of a small group holding out at against a police siege at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, holds a US flag

The Senate in the United States in a unanimous vote passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong amid increasing violence in the self-governing Chinese territory, which has been wracked by protests since June.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act now goes to the House of Representatives, which earlier approved its own version of the measure. The two chambers will have to reconcile the two bills into a single measure that can pass Congress and be sent to President Donald Trump for approval.

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The Senate passed a second bill, also unanimously, that would ban the export of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber-coated bullets and other munitions to Hong Kong's police force. 

There was no immediate response from the White House, which has yet to say whether Trump would sign or veto the bill. A US official said recently that no decision had been made.

That official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said if the measure gets to Trump’s desk there would probably be an intense debate between Trump aides worried that it could undermine trade talks with China and those who believe it is the time to take a stand against China on human rights and Hong Kong’s status.

China's Foreign Ministry and the Hong Kong government condemned the legislation.

"(The bill) neglects facts and truth, applies double standards and blatantly interferes in Hong Kong's internal affairs and China's other internal affairs," the Foreign Ministry said.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Beijing, said China aimed to appeal to Trump.

"Beijing knows that this act has not become law," Thomas said. "It needs to go to the president and China is trying to head that off through a mix of condemnation and threat." 


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