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Hong Kong’s Article 23 law: Beijing slams US politicians over ‘botched’ stance on domestic national security bill
- Commissioner’s office for China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong also accuses America’s ambassador to country of ‘irresponsible talk’ regarding proposed law
- US envoy Nicholas Burns earlier said Washington had ‘serious concerns’ about Hong Kong’s domestic national security bill
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Beijing has accused US representatives of “botched political performances” over their stance on Hong Kong’s domestic national security bill, after Washington’s top envoy in the country raised concerns about the proposed law amid calls for more sanctions against the city.
Hong Kong lawmakers on Friday unanimously agreed to waive notices to allow for a second reading of the Safeguarding National Security Bill to resume. The legislation is mandated under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.
Amid the marathon proceedings, the commissioner’s office for China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong took aim at Nicholas Burns, America’s ambassador to the country, who recently made a rare two-day visit to the city.
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Beijing accused the envoy of making “irresponsible talk” regarding the Article 23 bill.
“The United States has ignored its own stringent network of national security laws and severe related penalties while defending it as a secret,” a spokesman for the office said.
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“However, they were pointing fingers and spreading gossip on Hong Kong’s constitutional duty to enact its national security law.”
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