HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry branch in Hong Kong dismissed issues that its proposed national security laws for the city would harm foreign financiers, countering at “meddling” countries as Beijing’s ties with Washington soured further.
FILE PHOTO: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, goes to a news conference with officers over Beijing’s strategies to enforce nationwide security legislation in Hong Kong, China May 22,2020 REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
The security legislation, which might see Chinese intelligence companies set up bases in Hong Kong, has sent out chills through the business and diplomatic neighborhoods, scared monetary markets and escalated geopolitical stress.
U.S. government officials have said the legislation would end the Chinese-ruled city’s autonomy and would be bad for both Hong Kong’s and China’s economies. They said it could threaten the territory’s unique status in U.S. law, which has helped it maintain its position as a global monetary.
Hong Kong is caught in the cross-hairs of a Beijing-Washington conflict establishing on lots of fronts. After trade disagreements and mutual accusations over the source and handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Washington on Friday implicated the Chinese federal government of making it difficult for U.S. airlines to resume service to China.
Britain, Australia a