Hong Kong hits out at US Congress for passing a bill that could close its representative offices

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s government on Wednesday said the U.S. House of Representatives twisted facts in an attack on the city as it passed a bill that could close its representative offices in America, while Beijing threatened to take countermeasures if they are shuttered.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act was part of a series of China-related legislative proposals being scrutinized by the House this week. Many of the proposals scheduled for a vote appear to have both Republican and Democratic support, reflecting a strong consensus that congressional actions are needed to counter Beijing.

If approved, the measures would still need to clear the Senate and be signed by the U.S. president before officially becoming law. They are expected to increase diplomatic tensions between the world’s two largest economies, which see each other as rivals in many areas and have conflicting views over various issues, including on Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau strongly condemned the bill’s passage, saying it was political slander against the laws that safeguard national security and smeared the city’s human rights situation “without any reason at all.”

He said the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong had surveyed its members and found that about 70% of respondents felt no negative impact from the Beijing-imposed security law. He said there are about 1,200 American companies in the city.

“The passing of the bill… actually is not creating any benefit to anybody at all,” he said.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that the attack on the semi-autonomous Chinese city was “politically driven,” violated international law and “grossly