Hong Kong protests
\nONLINE
\nWashington
\nUS President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that supports pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
\nThe Human Rights and Democracy Act mandates an annual review, to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy to justify its special status with the US.
\nMr Trump said he signed the law \u201cout of respect for President Xi [Jinping], China, and the people of Hong Kong\u201d. China\u2019s foreign ministry threatened \u201ccounter measures\u201d if the US continued \u201cgoing down the wrong path\u201d.
\nMr Trump is currently seeking a deal with China, in order to end a trade war between the two countries.
\n\u201cThe US has been disregarding facts and distorting truth,\u201d a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
\n\u201cIt openly backed violent criminals who rampantly smashed facilities, set fire, assaulted innocent civilians, trampled on the rule of law, and jeopardized social order.\u201d
\nHong Kong\u2019s government also reacted, saying the American bill would send the wrong signal and would not help to ease the situation.
\nBut a key activist in the Hong Kong protest movement, Joshua Wong, said the US law was a \u201cremarkable achievement\u201d for \u201call Hongkongers\u201d
\nTrump had previously been non-committal about whether he would sign the bill, saying he was \u201cwith\u201d Hong Kong but also that Mr Xi was \u201can incredible guy\u201d.
\nHowever, the bill had widespread congressional support, which meant that even if he vetoed it, lawmakers could potentially have voted to overturn his decision.
\nThe president also signed a second bill, which bans the export of crowd-control munitions to the police in Hong Kong – including tear gas, rubber bullets and stun guns.
\n\u201c[The bills] are being enacted in the hope that leaders and representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences, leading to long-term peace and prosperity for all,\u201d Mr Trump said.
\nThe bill was introduced in June in the early stages of the protests in Hong Kong, and was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives last month.
\nIt says: \u201cHong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system.
\n\u201cThe [annual review] shall assess whether China has eroded Hong Kong\u2019s civil liberties and rule of law as protected by Hong Kong\u2019s Basic Law.\u201d
\nAmong other things, Hong Kong\u2019s special trading status means it is not affected by US sanctions or tariffs placed on the mainland.
\nThe bill also says the US should allow Hong Kong residents to obtain US visas, even if they have been arrested for being part of non-violent protests.
\nHong Kong\u2019s protests started in June against a proposed law to allow extradition to mainland China but it has since transformed into a larger pro-democracy movement.
\nThe protests have also seen increasingly violent clashes, with police being attacked, and officers firing live bullets.
\nProtesters have thrown petrol bombs and attacked businesses seen as being pro-Beijing.
\nThe protesters, meanwhile, have accused police of brutality.
\nOn Sunday, Hong Kong held local council elections that were seen as a barometer of public opinion towards the government and the protesters.
\nThe elections saw a landslide victory for the pro-democracy movement, with 17 of the 18 councils now controlled by pro-democracy councillors.
\nPolice moved into the Polytechnic University campus where a handful of protesters were thought to be holding out.
\nThe campus was the site of a siege, which turned into one of the defining moments of the anti-government protests.
\nPolice moved in with negotiators and psychologists to convince any remaining students to leave – as well as to clear dangerous items and gather evidence.
\nIt\u2019s not clear whether the officers found any remaining students. Over the past week, most protesters have either surrendered or escaped.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hong Kong protests ONLINE Washington US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that supports pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The Human Rights and Democracy Act mandates an annual review, to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy to justify its special status with the US. Mr Trump said he signed the law […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n