US Senate passes bill to penalise China over Hong Kong

The US Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would impose sanctions on China if it was to impose the national security law that threatened the autonomous state of Hong Kong, a Reuters report reads.

The bill authored by Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland reads that the US can impose sanctions on individuals or businesses that help China restrict the autonomy of Hong Kong.

The bill titled the ‘Hong Kong Autonomy Act’ was passed by unanimous consent. The bill must now be passed in the House of Representatives headed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and signed by President Donald Trump in order to become a law. 

The bill would have been passed last week, except, it was called back for technical corrections by Republican Senator Kevin Cramer. 

US and China have been on a trade war since 2018, which worsened since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in December 2019. 

China's security legislation prompted Trump to initiate a process to eliminate special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial centre. Members in the US Congress have been pushing for Washington to come down strongly on China ever since Trump and other western nations have accused Beijing of not being transparent about the origin of the virus.

According to Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, the bill is a resolute step towards condemning China for violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984 to guarantee autonomy for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, which has been in a state of turmoil after protests broke out opposing the extradition bill, has been taking to the streets opposing passage of the national security law. But Beijing has been adamant in passing the law by citing that it will only threaten a small per cent of trouble makers who threaten national security and strengthen governance.