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Bill for Tung to impose sanctions

Quinton Chan

The Government will table a bill today to the Provisional Legislative Council allowing Tung Chee-hwa to implement sanctions on other countries.

The United Nations Sanctions Bill will allow the Chief Executive to make regulations to impose sanctions decided by the UN Security Council, upon instruction of the Central Government.

Sanctions normally include restrictions on imports and exports, financial transactions and aviation links.

But the new law does not touch on the question of whether Hong Kong would follow any trade sanctions based only on economic factors, such as a trade war between China and United States.

Secretary for Trade and Industry Denise Yue Chung-yee said Mr Tung had recently received directives from Beijing to implement the sanctions decided by the Security Council against a number of parties.

Domestic legislation is required to give effect to these directives.

'Implementation of UN sanctions is also in the SAR's interest in order to uphold its reputation as a responsible trading partner and not as a conduit for circumventing UN sanctions,' she said.

'Previously economic sanctions imposed by the UN were enforced in Hong Kong by UK Orders in Council. Such orders have ceased to have effect after June 30, 1997.' To minimise the gap, the bill will be processed as quickly as possible.

'This fast-track procedure is required in order to minimise any attempt to use Hong Kong to circumvent the UN sanctions in question,' she said.

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