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Alex Lo

Sometimes you really wonder whether American politicians are for real. Consider the latest action of the chairman and ranking member of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee, respectively Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen.
The pair have introduced a resolution to condemn Beijing for interfering in Hong Kong, a Chinese city.
“The Chinese government has effectively ended Hong Kong’s autonomy,” the resolution said. “Beijing has spent the past four years repeatedly and flagrantly breaching its international obligations in Hong Kong.”
Seriously, you can’t make this up. This is from a country that is threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Canada, Mexico, Panama, Denmark, Greenland and Palestinian territories; and demanding its pound of flesh from Ukraine for its valuable mineral resources.

Gangsters are sometimes more subtle than the US these days.
Senior White House adviser Peter Navarro has threatened to redraw the Canadian border after President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed an ambition to turn the country into the 51st American state and call its outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau a state governor.
The CIA has been violating Mexico’s air space by flying drones over the country to spy on drug cartels, which are now classified as terrorist groups and may be targeted by the US military.
The US regularly flies attack drones to spy and carry out strikes in Syria, Iraq and Somalia, causing heavy civilian casualties.
Washington has aided and abetted Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Now Trump says he wants to develop the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, but not before the civilian population has been ethnically cleansed from the territory first.
Clearly, whatever their own political stances, Risch and Shaheen represent a country that now has no regard for international law and norms, nor the autonomy and sovereignty of other nations. And yet, their resolution says Hong Kong no longer has credibility as an international business centre due to the erosion of the rule of law and judicial independence and calls on “other governments to press multilateral organisations to no longer grant Hong Kong voting rights separate from China”.
I think Wall Street may have a different idea about whether Hong Kong remains a global financial centre. And multilateral organisations? It would be hard to find another major country with a greater disregard for international law and organisations.
Washington has now sanctioned the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant for suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, in a war fully supported and enabled by Washington.

The US has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Paris Climate Agreement. It has actively blocked the appointment of new judges to the appellate body of the World Trade Organization – considered the supreme court for international trade – in a unilateral bid to force the body to change its trade rules.
And speaking of domestic interference, which the Senate resolution has accused Beijing of over Hong Kong, the US executive branch under Trump has been doing exactly that with multiple American states.
As reported in the New Republic, “in a series of executive orders since taking office, Trump has sought to pressure, command, and even intimidate state and local officials across the country into carrying out his whims. Tensions between state and federal power are hardly new to American history. But the president’s eagerness to bulldoze state and local power is a disturbing escalation of his autocratic approach to government”.
Maybe China should sanction Washington for abusing federal powers to interfere with the states such as over education and hiring policies, immigration and other law enforcement issues with human rights implications.
To be sure, relations between Hong Kong and Beijing have been rocky but nothing we can’t fix. Perhaps America should take care of its own mess first before messing with others.


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Amanda Knox on her ‘big sister’ Monica Lewinsky and coming series on wrongful conviction

United States

More shameless interference from the US in Hong Kong affairs

Jim Risch (right), the chairman of the US Senate’s foreign relations committee, and ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (left) have introduced a resolution to condemn Beijing for interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs. Photo: AFP

Senior White House adviser Peter Navarro has threatened to redraw the Canadian border after President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed an ambition to turn the US’ northern neighbour into the 51st American state.  Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump, the New Republic reported, has used a series of executive orders “to pressure, command, and even intimidate state and local officials across the country into carrying out his whims”. Photo: Reuters

Trump says tariffs on Chinese imports will double to 20% and go into effect next week

US President Donald Trump has posted that the US will impose tariffs of 20 per cent on Chinese imports, starting on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Containers and cargo ships at a port in Wuhu, Anhui province. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

US imposes sanctions on more Hong Kong firms for aiding Iran drone makers

An Iranian Shahed drone displayed at the Conservative Political Action Conference  annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

The US Department of the Treasury in Washington. Photo: AP

“Treasury remains committed to disrupting the schemes that enable Iran to send its deadly weapons abroad,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Photo: Reuters

Trump can’t break Russia’s alliance with China – but he can shake it

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matryoshka depicting China’s President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen in a souvenir shop in St Petersburg, Russia, on November 21. Photo: AP

Your best friend has abandoned you: inside China’s latest EU charm offensive

In official meetings with EU representatives, Chinese officials have reportedly pointed to the stunning about-face by US President Donald Trump, who is now seen to side with Moscow. Photo: AP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 14. Photo: Reuters

‘Gloves off’ in US-China trade war with Trump’s surprise tariff spikes

US President Donald Trump has escalated the ongoing trade war with the announcement of doubled tariffs on Chinese goods. Photo: TNS

US President Donald Trump has escalated the ongoing trade war with the announcement of doubled tariffs on Chinese goods. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

From threatening other nations to bulldozing state power at home, America should take care of its own mess before messing with others


From threatening other nations to bulldozing state power at home, America should take care of its own mess before messing with others.


Donald Trump

US-China relations

Hong Kong

Mexico

China

Palestinian Territories

Canada

World Trade Organization (WTO)

Israel

World Health Organization (WHO)

Trade

US presidential election 2024

Justin Trudeau

US-China trade war

Human rights

Iraq

Middle East

Ukraine

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

My Take

My Take | More shameless interference from the US in Hong Kong affairs

From threatening other nations to bulldozing state power at home, America should take care of its own mess before messing with others