Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government
What is it with US politicians? Without any facts on hand, they willy-nilly pass laws to degrade Hong Kong as if the city is a horrible monster that needs to be eliminated.
China hawks Dan Sullivan (Rep. Alaska), John Curtis (Rep. Utah) and Jeff Merkley (Dem. Oregon) have introduced the Hong Kong Judicial Sanctions Act listing 45 judges and prosecutors for sanctions. Why?
Hong Kong enjoys the same common law legal system that applies to the US. Yet, they accuse the judiciary of human rights violations and call for support to the Hong Kongers facing persecution from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its so-called accomplices in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong judiciary has the same checks and balances as the US, so how can it engage in human rights violations?
The senators have obviously not done their homework. Hong Kong has retained its position in the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, ranking sixth in East Asia and the Pacific and 23rd globally amongst 142 countries and jurisdictions. Ironically, the US was at 26th place, three points behind Hong Kong! The senators should fix their own judicial system before criticizing others.
Further, the trio introduced a resolution condemning the Chinese government for engaging in repression, coercion and intimidation beyond its own borders, targeting citizens of other nations, including in the United States. Who? Those fleeing justice?
Wow! And not a shred of evidence to back up their claims. It appears to be just political posturing; another drop in the US cauldron of black propaganda targeting Hong Kong and China.
Of course, the Hong Kong Special Administration Region Government (HKSAR) strongly condemned the US senators’ resolution. It said safeguarding national security falls within the internal affairs of a sovereign jurisdiction, so the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) is free from any intervention.
“However, those US politicians insist on turning a blind eye to all these facts, and even clamour for so-called 'sanctions' against the HKSAR personnel and judges who dutifully safeguard national security. The HKSAR despises any so-called 'sanctions' and shall never be intimidated.
“It shall continue to resolutely discharge the responsibility of safeguarding national security. The HKSAR Government strongly urges the US politicians concerned to discern facts from fallacies and immediately stop acting against the international law and basic norms of international relations and interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely China's internal affairs," said a government statement issued over the weekend.
Hong Kong’s position is clear: We will not be intimidated!
Hong Kong stands tall in the world. It is the axis of Asia and is an aviation hub with aircraft taking off or landing every minute of the day. Its financial base has 70 of the largest 100 banks around the globe and more than 29 multinational banks have established regional headquarters in Hong Kong. It is a safe place, thanks to its rule of law.
Yet Sullivan rants: “The Chinese Communist Party’s aggressive repression of dissent and appalling human rights record extend far beyond China’s borders.” He claims that even American citizens and others lawfully living in the US have found themselves victims of the CPC regime’s intimidation and coercion tactics.
In Hong Kong, he said, the CPC has completely corrupted the local judiciary and is turning it into a tool of intimidation and injustice, contrary to the promises made to the world, including in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Rubbish! China has stuck by the terms of the Joint Declaration, which is the cornerstone of the very successful one country, two systems style of governance in Hong Kong.
He added that this is why he and others were introducing legislation to hold Hong Kong judiciary officials accountable for their actions, and a resolution condemning the Xi dictatorship’s outrageous attempts to threaten and intimidate citizens and others within the US.
The 70,000 US citizens living in Hong Kong must cringe in shame when their elected representatives in parliament and leaders utter total lies about Hong Kong. There are good people who see Hong Kong for what it is. It is a place they chose to live and do business, where their children go to school. Life for them must be difficult when their own government and their elected representatives decries their business activities. They carry the stigma of a broken regime. But no matter what, they are always welcome in Hong Kong.
Mark Pinkstone
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government
The positioning of Hong Kong at the base of China makes it the envy of the world. As a rip-roaring capitalist regime in the world’s largest consumer market, Hong Kong is portrayed as the showcase of China.
Armed with robust financial and common-law legal systems, Hong Kong is the “Mr Fixit” in world trade and can make anything “happen.” It provides a “can-do” environment among business partners.
It is the world’s Super Connector.
This was proven last week by a successful trade mission to Qatar and Kuwait by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, leading a delegation of 50 lawmakers, government officials, business representatives and for the first time included 20 entrepreneurs from the mainland provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong.
At the end of the visit, they secured 59 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) and agreements, 35 in Qatar and 24 in Kuwait, spanning across diverse areas and laying a robust groundwork for multifaceted co-operation. These MOUs will lay the foundations for future development especially in the Great Bay Area and Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis where science and technology are at the forefront for world advancement.
The trip also further built relations with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) to explore greater business opportunities, deepened mutual understanding and strengthening commercial and trading networks. Tourism will also be high on the list as efforts will be made to promote tourism between the two areas. Enhanced cultural exchanges with the GCC countries is also on the cards and Hong Kong can expect to see more cultural activities from the Arab world in the future.
“We strengthened relations between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the governments of Qatar and Kuwait, establishing a collaborative consensus,” said Lee.
He also noted that the visit helped leverage Hong Kong's strengths under the “one country, two systems” principle in connecting the mainland and the world, deepening international exchanges and co-operation, and demonstrating the synergistic power of the complementary advantages between Hong Kong and the mainland.
It was a mission of unity and peace and hot on the heels of a mission to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping who visited France, Hungry and Serbia in the previous week.
And while the East was bearing peace and goodwill to the Arabs and others, US President Donald Trump arrived at the same time offering arms and weapons of mass destruction destined to kill millions in the future. For that Trump was rewarded with a US$400 million “palace in the sky” Boeing jet to fly him around the world. Xi, on the other hand, received a modest two bottles of cognac and a few other items from French President Emmanuel Macron, a tongue-in-cheek gift acknowledging China’s investigation into France’s anti-dumping practices of cognac in the mainland. The Europeans called it “Cognac Diplomacy.” In return Xi offered Macron, among other things, a large stuffed bird which was actually a detailed model of a feathered dinosaur lived in China during the prehistoric era, and a volume of French literary classics, translated into Chinese and published in China, and a painting.
At the end of his tour in Kuwait last week, Lee told the press: “Middle East countries are seeking diversification of risks and looking for opportunities in China and the Hong Kong SAR in order to join the tide of the global economic shift towards the East. In this, Hong Kong has boundless opportunities.”
And indeed, it does. Hong Kong offers helplines for foreign investors seeking a foothold in this lucrative market through InvestHK, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and, of course, the government’s trade and industry department, which provides the legal framework for the previous two to operate.
Last year, some 539 overseas and mainland companies set up or expanded their business in Hong Kong, representing a 41 per cent increase compared to 2023, according to InvestHK’s latest annual report. This reflects the strong appeal of Hong Kong as a leading business hub in the region. The strong Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) performance, driven by investment across diverse and high-value industries, represents a total investment to the Hong Kong's economy of some HK$67.7 billion (US$8.66 billion), a record high.
Trade missions to and from Hong Kong are necessary for face-to-face meetings with trade negotiators and are necessary, not only for better trade deals, but simply for the better understanding and camaraderie between partners.
They also pave the way for future generations to work in harmony with others of different race, creed and color towards world peace and the advancement of mankind.
