Opinion | Why the US must restore Hong Kong’s special trade status
- Donald Trump’s move to revoke Hong Kong’s special status is wrong on many levels
- Joe Biden must get back to business basics by recognising the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ label as a sign of quality and protection of intellectual property
Many in the Republican camp think he might, as they believe Biden is of a socialist mindset and has deep China connections. They purposely overlook that the US-Hong Kong Policy Act was actually signed into law by Republican president George H.W. Bush, two years after China’s National People’s Congress approved the Basic Law for Hong Kong.
The hope was that granting this new special administrative region of China special trading privileges would encourage Beijing not to renege on its promise to let Hongkongers rule Hong Kong with “a high degree of autonomy” – preserving civil liberties.
This particular Hong Kong policy might not, however, have been a solely American initiative. Britain and other Western democracies that seek to maintain their bases in Hong Kong and enhance trade with China may have had a hand in persuading Bush. Thus, the arrangement to make Hong Kong a separate customs territory from China was also adopted by the World Trade Organization.
02:09
Trump signs Hong Kong Autonomy Act, ends city’s preferential trade status over national security law
Today, the climate has changed; there is increasing evidence that Beijing will not risk national interests and let Hong Kong shape the future of the country, whatever some foreign powers and pro-democracy elements in Hong Kong may desire.
