Hong Kong’s John Lee warns of strong response if US advances bill targeting trade offices
City leader reiterates closure of outposts will damage trade relations, deliver political gains for politicians at the expense of US businesses
Hong Kong’s leader has doubled down on Beijing’s warning that Washington might face “strong and resolute” retaliatory measures if the US Congress presses ahead with a bill that could shut the city’s three trade offices in the country.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also reiterated that the threatened closure of the city’s outposts would damage trade relations, delivering political gains for US politicians at the expense of American businesses.
“These are political tactics to suppress the development of China and also Hong Kong. These are shameless and ugly political tactics,” Lee said before a weekly meeting of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council.
“If the US is determined to go its way, then our country has already indicated that we will retaliate, and we’ll retaliate with strong and resolute measures,” he warned without elaborating.
He said Hong Kong remained attractive to businesses, noting that authorities had helped more than 350 foreign companies with setting up in the city in the first seven months of this year, marking a 40 per cent year-on-year increase, with US firms ranking third in terms of number.
The warning of retaliation from Beijing was first issued last Wednesday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with spokeswoman Mao Ning saying China would take “resolute and strong countermeasures” if the US continued to advance the bill through the Senate.
The US House of Representatives last week passed the bill, which could lead to the closure of Hong Kong’s three Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) in the country, with lawmakers questioning whether the city remained sufficiently autonomous to justify having separate representation from Beijing.
