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Exclusive | National security law: US envoy to Hong Kong slams ‘terrible’ legislation, says consulate will still meet with opposition figures
- Accusations of US interference ‘an effort to distract attention from the real issue by blaming a foreign scapegoat’, says Consul General Hanscom Smith
- Beijing jurisdiction and creation of new security agency among problematic features of new law singled out by envoy
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The United States consulate in Hong Kong will continue to interact with opposition politicians, even as the new national security law seeks to outlaw foreign interference in the city, its top envoy vowed on Thursday.
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In an interview with the Post two days after the imposition of the Beijing-decreed law, US Consul General Hanscom Smith also voiced concerns about several areas of what he called a “terrible” law, including its extraterritoriality, which covers offences by non-permanent residents outside the city.
“It is terrible. What exactly does that mean?” Smith said, referring to the law’s long-arm jurisdiction. “It is a bad law that fundamentally erodes Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.”
Smith said false comparisons had been drawn by the bill’s supporters, who pointed to the US’ own national security laws. Observers have recently noted that some of the country’s criminal laws had extraterritorial application and targeted foreign individuals believed involved in terrorism.
“The point is not whether or not you have a national security law, but how it’s created and whether or not it reflects the will of Hong Kong people,” he said.
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