My Take | Don’t expect anything good from US law
- Should Donald Trump sign off on bill targeting Hong Kong, the city will be labelled a trouble spot to be exploited by Washington and taught a lesson by Beijing
With the official passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act by the US Senate, the city is now officially a new front line in the emerging cold war 2.0 between Beijing and Washington.
It’s possible that US President Donald Trump will refuse to sign it into law, as he no doubt thinks getting an advantageous trade deal with China far more important.
Beijing may be more inclined to offer a better deal to suit Trump by linking it to his rejection of the bill.
That will be the best possible outcome for Hong Kong. But given Trump’s unpredictability, who can really say?
However, if the bill does become US law, it will achieve none of the objectives it claims to desire. That, however, may be exactly the point.
The point, of course, is to encourage Hong Kong people to go against Beijing and the mainland, just as it is the same point with Taiwan. That purpose has already been achieved even if it ultimately fails to become US law.