US National Security Assistant to the President Robert O’Brien believes that the dismissal of four opposition MPs “leaves no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party has grossly violated its international obligations”.
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The U.S. may impose sanctions against the perpetrators of violations of China’s international obligations towards Hong Kong, after the authorities in the Special Administrative Region of China decided to remove four opposition members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. This was stated in a written statement circulated by the White House on Wednesday, U.S. National Security Assistant Robert O’Brien.
He believes that the removal of four opposition deputies “leaves no doubt that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has grossly violated its international obligations” under the Sino-British declaration on the transfer of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China, as well as “its promises to the people of Hong Kong, including under the basic law”.
“[The principle] of ‘one country, two systems’ is now just a fig leaf covering the growing single-party dictatorship of the CPC in Hong Kong”, – argued O’Brien. The United States, he concluded, – “will continue to use all its powers” under US law “to identify and impose sanctions against those responsible for eliminating Hong Kong’s freedom.”
On Wednesday, Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of China, suspended four opposition lawmakers immediately after a new resolution was passed in Beijing by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (PRC Parliament), which established patriotism as a mandatory legal requirement for all members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. The document gives the right to immediately remove members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council who do not meet this criterion without a court decision.
On 30 June, the Parliament of the People’s Republic of China passed a law on ensuring national security in Hong Kong. According to the authorities in Beijing, it aims to prevent crimes such as separatism, terrorism, undermining state power and collusion with foreign forces, and provides for life imprisonment as a capital punishment. A number of countries, including the USA, have criticised the Chinese authorities’ actions, arguing that the adoption of the law violates the principle of one country, two systems. The Chinese authorities responded by calling on them not to interfere in China’s internal affairs.