United States funding for Hong Kong internet freedom is ‘a meaningless political gesture’, city technology experts say
- US to plough resources into the ‘development and deployment of internet freedom and Great Firewall circumvention tools for the people of Hong Kong’
- Senate has passed a bill earmarking US$250 billion to strengthen American capabilities as Washington-Beijing rivalry continues to escalate
United States funding of US$30 million in support of Hong Kong’s internet freedom is nothing more than a political gesture designed to bolster American bargaining power over China, the city’s technology experts have said.
The Senate this week passed a wide-ranging Innovation and Competition Act 2021 dedicating US$250 billion to strengthen Washington’s hand in its escalating rivalry with Beijing.
One of the bill’s measures focuses on the “development and deployment of internet freedom and Great Firewall circumvention tools for the people of Hong Kong”.
Lento Yip Yuk-fai, chairman of the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association, said he believed the provision was empty political rhetoric because Hongkongers still enjoyed unrestricted internet freedom.
“I can’t see any real impact the clause will have on Hong Kong. I think it’s purely a political gesture without any meaning. The US Senate just wants to show support for the internet freedom of Hong Kong,” he said.
The bill states the US should help Hong Kong people maintain their freedoms to access online material and focus on investing in technology that facilitates the “unhindered exchange of information” in advance of any future acts of suppression by Beijing. That may include Chinese officials restricting internet access, imposing online censorship or curbing communication and content-sharing, the bill adds.