Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
China on Wednesday expressed strong indignation and firm opposition to the US House of Representative, passing of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, according to the Foreign Ministry spokesperson statement.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which protesters had urged legislators to pass, would end the Chinese city’s special trading status with the US unless the State Department certified annually that the authorities were respecting human rights and the rule of law.
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives passed the act proposed by some congressmen, despite strong opposition from the Chinese government.
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China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was “resolutely opposed” to the bills and urged US legislators to stop interfering in Hong Kong. It has accused “external forces” of heightening months of unrest in the semi-autonomous city.
Last week, Hong Kong’s entire mass transit rail system was suspended after a night of violence sparked by a ban on pro-democracy protesters wearing face masks, as the government imposed emergency powers not used in more than half a century.
The ban was imposed under emergency powers not used in more than half a century that aimed at quelling nearly four months of unrest but instead triggered mass protests and vows of defiance, with a 14-year-old boy reportedly shot and wounded.
Earlier in the month, Lam had introduced a ban on people wearing masks at public rallies, colonial-era emergency legislation that has not been used in more than half a century.
The controversial China extradition bill was withdrawn in early September but the movement has morphed into a wider campaign for greater democracy and against alleged police brutality.
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