US lawmakers have vowed to take stern action against China after security bill signed by President Xi led to mass arrest in the city. The US lawmakers have also called for a tougher response from the Trump administration, including economic sanctions on the country.
Mass arrests and protests rocked Hong Kong after a new security bill went into effect in the city. The controversial bill was signed into law by President Xi Jinping and calls for more China control on domestic matters of Hong Kong.
The bill has received global criticism, with many countries speaking against it and vowing to help Hong Kong residents who will be affected by the Bill. Taiwan was one of the first countries to offer help and refuge for Hong Kong residents willing to leave the city. The UK has also offered to take 3 million Hong Kong citizens escaping from Chinese rule in the city.
US lawmakers call for stern action against China
The US lawmakers have also been on the forefront asking for a tougher response from the President. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, called on President Trump to intervene and do more using a law passed in 2019 that allowed the US to put sanctions on state and individuals found infringing the rights and freedoms of residents of Hong Kong.
Pelosi has been a long time advocate of human rights in China, calling the country out for their treatment of Uyghur minorities and Hong Kong protestors in the past few years.
In a statement, she said that all options should be on the table for those caught violating Hong Kong resident’s rights and freedoms. She said economic sanctions and visa limitations should be sought for officials who are actively promoting the mass arrest in the city.
She continued by saying the security bill implementation in the city presented the US an opportunity to stand for human rights. She argued that if the country does not speak against the current human rights violations in Hong Kong, then it would be very difficult to have any say in any other place.
Her sentiments were echoed by Republican Representative Mike McCaul, who is also in the Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul also called for Trump administration to get tougher with the Chinese and protect Hong Kong residents from Beijing’s overreach.
Doubts on a stern response
However, some US lawmakers were doubtful about whether the Trump administration would do anything to protect Hongkongers. Representative Brad Sherman, a Democrat, said Trump was willing to look the other side to get his trade deal done, claiming that Hongkongers had become backburners in a bid to sell more soybeans to China.
On Wednesday alone, Police in Hong Kong arrested over 350 people. Some of them were arrested due to breaking the security bills law that had come into effect just a few hours before.
Featured image by Unsplash
