Top US diplomat in Hong Kong warns of growing internet censorship in Hong Kong, highlighting concerns that China’s crackdown on freedoms is reducing the city’s attractiveness as a global financial hub did.
In his first interview since taking office in 2022, U.S. Consul General Gregory May said connectivity issues and data security concerns have led some U.S. companies to use burner phones and laptops when visiting the once-bohemian enclave. Warned you are supposed to use the top.
“Hong Kong is starting to go downhill in trying to remove certain content from the internet and block certain websites,” he told Bloomberg News on Thursday. “Once you start internet censorship, it becomes a slippery slope. Where does it end?
Government erasure campaign Glory to Hong KongThe song, which became popular during anti-government protests in 2019, highlighted the operational risks of Western tech giants such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Metaplatforms from the city’s internet. The city’s internet service provider also blocked access to the internet for a small number of people. Websites such as the UK-based rights organization Hong Kong Watch. Officials have defended the actions on national security grounds.
Hong Kong’s internet remains mostly free, but the initial restrictions extend to Hong Kong strict regulations in mainland China, where many Western platforms are blocked and censors routinely remove content critical of the government. There are concerns that this may be the case.
The American diplomat’s criticism comes as Hong Kong seeks to strengthen its position as an international business hub and attract tourists to boost its flagging economy. The city’s global reputation has taken a hit as years of isolation due to the pandemic caused an exodus of talent and a sweeping crackdown on political freedoms became a flashpoint in rocky relations between the world’s two superpowers. received.
“Releasing Jimmy Lai and others imprisoned for political expression will do more to improve Hong Kong’s image than all the financial summits and tourism promotion campaigns combined,” May said. Deaf,” he said. Democratic activist Lai, 76, faces life in prison under a national security law imposed by the Chinese government in 2020.
Hong Kong’s government on Friday night condemned Prime Minister Theresa May’s comments as “threatening” and said efforts to protect national security would protect the rights of the city’s businesses.
Mei, a career diplomat who worked as a journalist before working in the mainland Chinese cities of Shenyang and Guangzhou, called on the government to reassure companies of its commitment to a free and open internet and business-friendly data management.
“We want to have a better relationship with Hong Kong. All we need is for Hong Kong to stop this decline,” May said, referring to restrictions on Hong Kong’s freedoms. “We want economic relations to remain good, but frankly our priorities are in the political realm.”
The United States sanctioned Hong Kong leader John Lee over President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on dissent, while Beijing orchestrated mass protests against Communist Party influence that rocked Hong Kong in 2019. He blamed the United States for this. Last year, parliament passed a bill that could shut down three Hong Kong cities. If the financial hub is not deemed to be significantly independent from Beijing, it will be submitted to the U.S. Economic and Trade Administration.
Hours before May’s press conference, the US State Department expressed concern about the city’s new proposed internal security law, criticizing the city for its “broad and vague” definitions of state secrets and external interference. He said it could be used to silence people. The local measures are in addition to a national security law drafted by China, raising concerns that they could have a chilling effect on open debate on economic and policy issues.
“After the NSL, what Hong Kong needs most is a wider range of new crimes,” Prime Minister Theresa May said. He declined to say what the US government would do if Hong Kong passed the law.
The city government on Thursday denounced the State Department’s comments as “irresponsible” and interference in China’s internal affairs. China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the new law targets a “small number of criminals” who threaten national security and protects the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents.
Officials vowed to press ahead with enacting the mini-constitutionally mandated Article 23 bill after concluding a month-long consultation process on Wednesday. Lee’s government said it had “the support of the vast majority of the public” and would work to finalize the bill as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Theresa May said the US government had “actively decided not to participate” in the talks, adding that it was up to Hong Kong people to provide feedback. Sanctions on Lee have reduced his involvement with the leader, but he remains in contact with city officials through other channels, the U.S. diplomat said.
Despite the challenges, Prime Minister Theresa May said she believed the former British colony still had significant business advantages. He said relations with the United States could improve if authorities honor the 1984 agreement on the handover of Hong Kong, which promised a high degree of autonomy from Beijing for 50 years.
Still, he warned that American companies could face headwinds at home because of the city’s crackdown on dissent, including offering bounties on the heads of foreign activists living in the United States.
“U.S. companies need to be mindful of their reputation on Capitol Hill when doing business in Hong Kong,” he said. “Some of them are concerned that they will be in the crosshairs of the US because Hong Kong is doing things like bounties that have very negative aspects and the US is reacting to that. Of course there is.”
— With assistance from Philip Grumman
