>>> TENSIONS WITH CHINA CONTINUE AS THE UNITED STATES ORDERED THE
CONSULATE IN HOUSTON TO CLOSE, THIS AFTER THE U.S. ACCUSED THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT OF SPYING AND STEALING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.
AT THE SAME, THE UNITED STATES REACTED TO A SECURITY LAW CHINA
IMPOSED ON HONG KONG, A CHINESE TERRITORY SINCE 1997 WHICH IS
SUPPOSED TO OPERATE UNDER A “ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS” RULE.
I SPOKE WITH RETIRED LIEUTENANT COLONEL GARY LEFORT, WHO IS ALSO
PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AT
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
SITUATION.
>> THAT THE ACT WAS IMPLEMENTED ON JUNE 30th OF THIS YEAR, AND
BASICALLY, WHAT IT DOES IS THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS BASICALLY
SAID THAT IT'S A CRIMINAL EVENT IF YOU GET INVOLVED IN
SECESSION, SUBVERSION, TERRORISM, OR COLLUSION WITH
FOREIGN FORCES.
I THINK THE IDEA BEHIND IT IS THAT HONG KONG HAS FAILED IN THE
PAST TO PASS ITS OWN NATIONAL SECURITY LAW, WHICH IT WAS
AUTHORIZED TO DO UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION BACK IN 1984.
AND CHINA IS ALSO LOOKING AT LAST YEAR, 2019, WHERE THERE WAS
A SERIOUS NUMBER OF PROTESTS THAT STARTED OUT IN JUNE,
2000 -- [AUDIO CHOPPY]
-- IN MORE PRO-DEMOCRACY REFORM DEMANDS ON THE HONG KONG
GOVERNMENT.
AND SO I THINK CHINA DECIDED THAT IT WANTED TO BE MORE
PROACTIVE AND TRY TO -- THOSE TYPE OF PROTESTS AND GIVE THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT MORE CENTRALIZED CONTROL IN HONG
KONG.
>> CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF HONG KONG?
I KNOW THAT IT WAS UNDER BRITISH RULE FOR A LONG TIME.
THAT CHANGED IN 1997, AND YOU MENTIONED THOSE PRO-DEMOCRACY
MOVEMENTS.
IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE GOVERNMENT WORKS
THERE?
>> YEAH.
IT REALLY ALL GOES BACK ABOUT 150 YEARS.
THE WAR WHERE BRITAIN WAS CEDED THE HONG KONG CITY, LATER, THE
RESULTS OF THE SECOND OPIUM WAR, CHINA LIKEWISE HAD TO SECEDE THE
PENINSULA, AS WELL.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY, ABOUT 1898,
CHINA LIKEWISE RELEASED NEW TERRITORIES TO BRITAIN FOR 99
YEARS, WHICH TAKES US TO THE 1997 TIME FRAME.
WHERE IT WAS FINALLY AGREED THAT CHINA WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO
RELEASE THE NEW TERRITORIES AND BRITAIN NOT WANTING TO SPLIT
HONG KONG, AGREED TO GIVE BACK HONG KONG ISLAND AND THE
PENINSULA, AS WELL.
IN EXCHANGE FOR WHAT WE NOW REFER TO AS THE ONE COUNTRY, TWO
SYSTEM, SYSTEM IN HONG KONG.
>> AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT SHOULD WORK?
I KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN A BIG CONCERN WITH THE PRO-DEMOCRACY
GROUPS THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT WERE PROTESTING.
>> RIGHT.
AS FAR AS -- AS PART OF THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT WAS
AGREED TO IN 1894, BESIDES THIS ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEM
PRINCIPLE, THERE WAS ALSO A BASIC LAW, CONSTITUTION PUT IN
PLACE AND UNDER THAT, HONG KONG WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO
RETAIN ITS CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM THAT IT HAD UNDER THE BRITISH TO
INCLUDE ITS BORDERS AND LIKEWISE MAINTAIN THE PERSONAL FREEDOMS
THAT THEY ACQUIRED UNDER COLONIAL RULE, LIKE FREEDOM OF
SPEECH, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, THE RIGHTS TO GATHER, THINGS OF
THAT NATURE AND THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST FOR 50 YEARS TO
2047.
HERE WE ARE, IN 2019, 2020, AND IT LOOKS LIKE CHINA IS TRYING TO
RENEGE ON THAT PROMISE THAT THEY MADE.
>> AND THE U.S. JUST RECENTLY PASSED THE HONG KONG
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT.
I BELIEVE IN REACTION TO THE SECURITY LAW THAT WAS PASSED.
WHAT WILL THAT TO?
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT WILL THAT HAVE?
>> ACTUALLY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF ACTIONS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP
TOOK ON JULY 14th OF THIS YEAR.
THE FIRST WAS THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, WHICH BASICALLY REMOVES
SOME OF THE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT THAT HONG KONG HAD AS
FAR AS PASSPORT PROCESSING, EXEMPTIONS AS FAR AS EXPORTS GO,
JOINT TRAINING BETWEEN U.S. AND THE POLICE.
THE OTHER ACTION THAT YOU MENTIONED IS ACTUALLY THE U.S.
HONG KONG AUTONOMY ACT THAT ALSO WENT INTO EFFECT ON JULY 14th
AND IT REALLY IS DESIGNED TO BRING ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST
CHINESE OFFICIALS AND BANKS THAT HAD ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY LAW.
>> OKAY.
AND SO WE ARE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INCREASED TENSIONS
AND, OF COURSE, WE'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS BEFORE BETWEEN
THE U.S. AND CHINA.
WE JUST HAD HAD THIS SITUATION WHERE THE CONSULATE WAS SHUT
DOWN IN HOUSTON.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE?
>> YEAH, THAT IS NOT REALLY DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE HONG
KONG CRISIS, BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING THERE AND
ALSO BECAUSE OF PAST PROBLEMS OVER CHINA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE
PANDEMIC, THE UNITED STATES HAS REALLY BEEN STARTING TO PUT A
LOT OF PRESSURE ON CHINA IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
ESPECIALLY AS FAR AS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS GO IN THE COLLECTING OF ECONOMIC DATA HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES IN THE AND THE CHINESE CONSULATES HAVE BEEN
UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR A WHILE, ESPECIALLY THE ONE IN HOUSTON,
AS FAR AS ECONOMIC SPYING GOES, VISA FRAUD IN COLLECTING
INFORMATION ON PEOPLE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THE UNITED STATES DECIDED THAT IT WAS TIME TO TAKE ACTION
AND THE EMBASSY HAD TO CLOSE ITS DOORS AND GO BACK TO CHINA.
ANOTHER INCIDENT HAD HAD JUST RECENTLY INVOLVED AS FAR AS
ANOTHER CONSULATE GOES AND THAT'S THE ONE IN SAN FRANCISCO
WHERE IT'S CURRENTLY HIDING A CHINESE RESEARCHER WHO WAS
FILING FOR A VISA AND WAS NOT TRUTHFUL ABOUT POSSIBLE
AFFILIATIONS WITH THE CHINESE MILITARY.
>> AND FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ALSO CHARGED TWO ALLEGED CHINESE
HACKERS FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE CORONAVIRUS I GUESS RESEARCH
AND TREATMENT, LOOKING AT VACCINES AS WELL SO THAT WAS A
SEPARATE INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED AS WELL?
>> YES.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, THAT HAPPENED A DAY BEFORE THE U.S.
ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS GOING TO FORCE THE HOUSTON CONSULATE TO
CLOSE DOWN.
SO THAT HAPPENED ON JULY 21st.
AND CHARGES HAVE, IN FACT, BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST THESE
SCRIMMAGES.
THE CLAIM IS THAT THEY HAVE DIRECT LINKS TO NOT ONLY THE
CHINESE GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO MILITARY AFFILIATIONS, AS WELL.
>> SO AS WE MOVE THROUGH, AS WE'RE STILL ALL DEALING WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS, THE ECONOMY, BEING SORT OF SLOWLY REOPENING, HOW
DOES THE U.S. CONTINUE AND WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE BETWEEN
THE U.S. AND CHINA AS WE MOVE OUT TO SEPTEMBER?
>> WELL, IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.
LAST TIME WE TALKED, IT LOOKED PROMISING THAT EVEN THOUGH THE
U.S. WAS CONCERNED OVER THE TRANSPARENCY IN CHINA AS FAR AS
THE PANDEMIC WENT, INDICATIONS AT LEAST AT THE TIME WAS THAT
THE UNITED STATES WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THROUGH, SO
LIKEWISE WITH THE CHINESE AS FAR AS THE FIRST PHASE GOES.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE QUESTION NOW AS THE SITUATION
WITH THE UIGURS IN CHINA, AS FAR AS HUMAN RIGHTS GOES, IT GETS
MORE AND MORE INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION.
THE TENSION IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IS INTENSIFYING.
WE'VE GOT THE HUAWEI PROBLEM OR CONCERNS AS FAR AS 5G NETWORK
GOES.
SO THERE'S A WHOLE NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT'S REALLY BRINGING
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA TO A
POINT WHERE SOMEBODY'S GOT TO BACK DOWN, EITHER IN THE CASE OF
THE UNITED STATES, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE
CASE OF TRUMP, OR IN THE CASE OF CHINA, WHICH I'M NOT SURE
BECAUSE PRESIDENT XI HAS BEEN VERY, VERY ASSERTIVE AS FAR AS
HIS POSITION IN OFFICE GOES.