Exclusive | US passing Hong Kong human rights and democracy act will only ‘punish the wrong people’: ex-Trump envoy Susan Thornton
- Susan Thornton, formerly America’s most senior diplomat in East Asia, says the bill is a ‘huge mistake’ and reflects misconceptions in the US about China’s rise
- She says stripping Hong Kong of its special status will hurt Hongkongers and have ‘Beijingers dancing in the streets’
In a wide-ranging interview, Susan Thornton, who served as acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said passing the bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would be a “huge mistake” that would end up “punishing exactly the wrong people”.
“To me, Beijing would like nothing more than the US to remove Hong Kong’s special status. I don’t really get it. I don’t understand what game they think they are playing,” said Thornton, who retired from the US Department of State in July after more than 25 years of service, referring to lawmakers pushing the bill.
“I don’t think they think about it much, but they just have this one bill that has Hong Kong in it, and they’re wielding it like a club, and they don’t seem to understand that the club is basically going to whack the Hongkongers upside the head, and the Beijingers will be dancing in the streets.”