World U.S. House to attempt quick passage of Hong Kong human rights bill

21:46 20 november 2019

21:46 20 november 2019 Source: reuters.com

U.S. Senate unanimously passes Hong Kong rights bill

The U.S. Senate, in a unanimous vote, passed legislation on Tuesday aimed at protecting human rights in Hong Kong amid China's crackdown on a pro-democracy protest movement in that vital financial center. © ASSOCIATED PRESS Riot police detain a protestor after he tried to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. About 100 anti-government protesters remained holed up at a Hong Kong university Tuesday, their choices dwindling along with their food supplies as they braced for the endgame in a police siege of the campus that entered its third day.

By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan

a man riding a skateboard down a sidewalk: A protester is escorted by medical staff out of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday will attempt to pass legislation unanimously approved by the Senate that aims to protect human rights in Hong Kong amid a pro-democracy movement there, a senior House aide said.

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Reuters the bill passed on Tuesday by the Senate would be brought to the House floor for passage.

If the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passes the House and is signed into law by President Donald Trump, it would request Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to certify at least once a year that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to qualify for special U.S. trading consideration that bolsters its status as a world financial center.

Boy, 12, is youngest convict in Hong Kong protests

The child was arrested on his way to school the day after a protest in October.Teargas canisters fly over protesters during clashes with police on Nov. 17.

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The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
(Pictured) Protesters are detained by police near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 18. Pro-democracy demonstrators holed up in a Hong Kong university campus set the main entrance ablaze November 18 to prevent surrounding police moving in, after officers warned they may use live rounds if confronted by deadly weapons.
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New Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung visits Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus in the Hung Hom district, on Nov. 19.
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Protesters walk before being taken to hospitals, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, on Nov. 19.
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A protester is detained after he tried to leave Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, on Nov. 19.
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Protesters are taken outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus to receive medical aid, on Nov. 19.
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Detained protesters lay on the floor after they tried to leave Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, on Nov. 19.
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Police check media reporters during protests in front of Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, on Nov. 19.
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Police officers remove bricks and debris from the street outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus, on Nov. 19.
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Medics leave the campus of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Hung Hom district, on Nov. 19.
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South Korean protesters march during a rally to support Hong Kong protests on Nov. 19 in Seoul, South Korea.
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A protester tries to escape through a sewage tunnel inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus on Nov. 19.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a press conference on Nov. 19. Lam said that protesters occupying a city center university had to surrender if the three-day stand-off was to be resolved peacefully.
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Protesters wait to receive medical attention at the Polytechnic University campus on Nov. 19.
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A principal, left, advises his students to leave, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus on Nov. 18. Police tightened their siege of a university campus where hundreds of protesters remained trapped Monday night.
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Protesters set car on fire near the university Nov. 18.
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Protesters are escorted by police out of the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University during clashes with police on Nov. 18.
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People are detained by police near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 18.
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Riot police make arrests as protesters attempt to find safe passage out of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus on Nov. 18.
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A protester is detained by riot police while attempting to leave the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University during clashes with police on Nov. 18.
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A protester is detained by riot police while attempting to leave the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University during clashes with police on Nov. 18.
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Protesters clash with riot police as they try to leave the surrounded campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 18.
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Protesters attempt to leave the campus of Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 18.
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People are detained by the police near the Polytechnic University on Nov. 18.
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Police detain a protester attempting to leave the campus of the PolyU on Nov. 18.
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Anti-government protesters rest near petrol bombs after clashes with police on Nov. 18.
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Anti-government protesters flee after clashing with the police on Nov. 18.
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Protesters climb a stairway filled with a makeshift barricade of chairs and other debris at the PolyU on Nov. 18.
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A fire burns near the campus of on Nov. 18.
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Fires burn at the steps to Polytechnic University as police storm the campus on Nov. 18.
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Protesters hold British and American flags and a sign reading "Save Us" on Nov. 17.
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The police use a water cannon during clashes with anti-government protesters on Nov. 17.
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A police vehicle catches fire after being hit by molotov cocktails thrown by protestors on Nov. 17.
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Protesters climb over the gates of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during clashes with the police on Nov. 17.
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A protester moves a burning barricade during clashes with police on Nov. 17.
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Smoke is seen inside the university after police fired tear gas on Nov. 17.
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Fire erupts as pro-democracy protesters clash with police on a bridge outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17.
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Protesters attend an anti-government march on Nov. 17.
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An anti-government protester holds a molotov cocktail during clashes with police on Nov. 17.
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Protesters throw Molotov cocktails as the police use a water canon outside Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Nov. 17.
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Teargas canisters fly over protesters during clashes with police on Nov. 17.

Hong Kong voters queue up early over fears of later clashes

Hong Kong voters at some polling stations for district council elections were queuing up by the hundreds on Sunday morning, citing concerns voting could be halted later in the day after six months of sometimes violent unrest in the Chinese-controlled city. Brutal attacks on candidates have thrust Hong Kong's lowest-tier government onto the international stage, with the district elections seen as an important barometer of support for Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's embattled administration.
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Protesters use an improvised slingshot during a confrontation with police on Nov. 17.
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Journalists react as fire from Molotov cocktail burns next to them as protesters clash with police on Nov. 17.
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Soldiers from China's (PLA) watch a confrontation between police and protesters at the Polytechnic University from inside a nearby PLA garrison on Nov. 17.
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Office workers and pro-democracy protesters gather during a demonstration in Central in Hong Kong on Nov. 15.
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People clearing makeshift road barricades placed by protesters get into an argument with protesters outside the University of Hong Kong on Nov. 16.
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Chief Superintendent of Police Public Relations Branch Tse Chun-chung speaks at a press conference on Nov. 14.
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Protesters react after police fired tear gas at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Nov. 12.
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Office workers and pro-democracy protesters gather during a demonstration on Nov. 12.
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A university students throws an object at riot police on Nov. 12.
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A school student is questioned by police in the Sai Wan Ho district on Nov. 12, following a day of pro-democracy protests.

Hong Kong elections stunner: What pro-democracy landslide means

An Election Day landslide for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong has left the Chinese territory and the world wondering what happens next.The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

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It also would provide for sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio was a main sponsor of the Senate-passed bill, which was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Jim Risch and Democratic senators Bob Menendez and Ben Cardin.

The House is also due to take up a second bill that also passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday, to ban the export of certain crowd-control munitions to Hong Kong police forces. That measure, backed by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, bans the export of items such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns.

The White House did not provide an immediate response on whether the president intended to sign or veto the legislation.

A U.S. official said recently that no decision had been made, but the unanimous vote in the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans hold a majority of seats, could make a veto more difficult for the president.

In Beijing on Wednesday, China condemned the legislation's passage, and vowed strong counter-measures to safeguard its sovereignty and security.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Richard Chang)

China Condemns U.S. Over Hong Kong. That Won’t Stop Trade Talks. .
SHANGHAI — China vented on Thursday after President Trump signed new human rights legislation covering the protest-wracked city of Hong Kong. It denounced the new law as illegal interference in its own affairs. It summoned the American ambassador for the second time in a week. It vowed retaliation. The threats sounded severe. They also sounded empty. Behind the harsh rhetoric, China has few options for striking back at the United States in a meaningful way. And it has bigger priorities — namely, ending the increasingly punishing trade war between the two countries.

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