Ahead of Hong Kong Security Law Enforcement, US Senate Passes China Sanctions Bill Related to Hong Kong

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As the Chinese government is rushing procedures aiming to enforce the 'Hong Kong National Security Law' (Hong Kong Security Law) on July 1, the U.S. Senate has passed the 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act,' which imposes sanctions on those involved in suppressing Hong Kong's autonomy.

On the 25th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which imposes sanctions on individuals and companies supporting China's suppression of Hong Kong's autonomy. This bill was prepared to protect human rights in Hong Kong and prevent China from infringing on Hong Kong's special status. The main content allows the U.S. government to sanction Chinese officials and Hong Kong police involved in violating Hong Kong's autonomy, and to impose secondary boycotts (third-party sanctions) on banks that transact with them.

This bill, having passed the Senate, will be officially enacted after passing the House of Representatives and receiving President Donald Trump's signature. However, WSJ pointed out that since the bill itself mandates sanctions, it could complicate diplomatic relations with China and grant significant power to the U.S. Congress regarding foreign affairs, so passing the House and obtaining President Trump's signature may not be easy.

According to Senate rules, if even one vote opposed the bill, its passage could have been blocked, but the vote was unanimous. This is interpreted as a shared recognition that, with China accelerating the enactment of the Hong Kong Security Law, the U.S. must quickly present a pressure card to block it.

Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat), who introduced the bill, explained, "China will understand this not as a mere statement from the U.S. Senate but as a penalty including sanctions," adding, "At the very least, the Chinese government will have no choice but to listen." He self-assessed that this sends a clear message to China that there will be consequences if it acts to infringe on Hong Kong's autonomy.

During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday period, China has not yet issued an official response to the unanimous passage of the Hong Kong Autonomy Act in the U.S. Senate, but given its stance opposing external interference in Hong Kong issues, considerable backlash is expected. China may even try to show that it will not be shaken by external pressure by hastening the enforcement of the Hong Kong Security Law.

The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee of China is known to hold a meeting from the 28th to the 30th to conduct a second review of the Hong Kong Security Law. Although the discussion details have not been disclosed, since the NPC held the first review of the Hong Kong Security Law during the meeting from the 18th to the 20th and announced another meeting just a week later, the dominant view is that a final review of the Hong Kong Security Law will take place. This suggests a high possibility that the Hong Kong Security Law will be fully enforced starting from July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's sovereignty return.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government has classified 20 Chinese companies, including Huawei, as related to the People's Liberation Army, laying the groundwork for new financial sanctions against China. It is also pressuring China comprehensively by placing three engineers from Chinese companies on the wanted list for technology theft charges. A federal judge in San Francisco announced that three engineers from the Chinese semiconductor company Fujian Jinhua, accused of stealing technology from U.S. company Micron, must undergo a 'preliminary hearing' procedure, which is a criminal procedural recognition hearing, but since they did not comply, arrest warrants were issued.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.