The Hong Kong Autonomy Act would impose sanctions on companies and people today that support China restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy. It was accepted by unanimous consent Thursday, and it will now go to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The Senate originally handed the monthly bill last 7 days and the Household accredited it on Wednesday with a slight specialized modify, in accordance to Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, the co-authors of the legislation. Thus the Senate essential to approve the somewhat altered edition right before sending it to Trump.
The shift by lawmakers comes as China has handed a controversial nationwide stability regulation for Hong Kong that lends Beijing sweeping new powers about the semi-autonomous city.
Critics say the law, which wasn’t revealed to the general public till soon after it was passed, marks an erosion of the city’s treasured civil and political freedoms the Chinese and nearby governments argue it is really necessary to curb unrest and uphold mainland sovereignty.
The legislation has been greatly criticized by opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong, human rights teams and politicians around the globe, with many saying it will cement Beijing’s immediate control over the semi-autonomous city.
Numerous fret it could be made use of to focus on political dissidents, activists, human legal rights lawyers and journalists amid the central government’s continuing crackdown on civil modern society underneath Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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