Beijing: China’s legislature on Sunday began reviewing a controversial national security bill for Hong Kong that critics worldwide say will severely compromise human rights in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee took up the matter at the start of a three-day session, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. China has said it is determined to enact the law, and its passage is expected by Tuesday.
The US says it will respond by ending favorable trading terms granted to the former British colony after it passed to Chinese control in 1997.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to impose sanctions on businesses and individuals — including the police — that undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy or restrict freedoms promised to the city’s residents.
The Senate bill targets police units that have cracked down on Hong Kong protesters, as well as Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for imposing the national security law.
The measure also would impose sanctions on banks that do business with entities found to violate the law.
Last week, a former United Nations human rights chief and eight former UN special envoys urged the body’s secretary-general to appoint a special envoy on Hong Kong over what they said is a pending “humanitarian tragedy.”
Britain has said it would grant passports to as many as 3 million of Hong Kong’s 7.8 million people.
Beijing has denounced all such moves as gross interference in its internal affairs. (AP)
