U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Kelly Craft urged the U.N. Security Council to take action against China’s takeover of Hong Kong Friday after China’s delegation attempted to stop the matter from being discussed in the body.
The American delegation was also joined by the British delegation in calling for a Security Council meeting to be held to discuss the situation in Hong Kong, Fox News reported. “This is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council,” the US Mission to the UN said in a statement Wednesday.
UN Ambassador Kelly Craft sits with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence at the UN General Assembly (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
China’s government approved a resolution Thursday to impose new national security laws in Hong Kong, which gives mainland Chinese security agencies broader power to punish political dissent. (RELATED: China Expert Marion Smith Says China’s Latest Power Grab Is The ‘Death Of Hong Kong As We Know It’)
The resolution was proposed in response to major protests in Hong Kong over the city’s autonomy, which have been ongoing for over a year. During the Security Council meeting Friday, Craft said that the resolution would “eviscerate the free society that has underpinned Hong Kong’s success since 1997.”
During the meeting, China refused to allow any discussion on Hong Kong to proceed, prompting the US and UK to classify the Hong Kong agenda item as an “All Other Business” discussion, which can not be blocked by other Security Council members.
Given Beijing’s refusal to allow a formal UNSC meeting to discuss their actions re Hong Kong, today the US & UK will hold an AOB emergency discussion with other Council members to raise the issue of China’s new security law. The free world must stand with the people of Hong Kong.
— Ambassador Kelly Craft (@USAmbUN) May 29, 2020
China, however, brushed off the agenda, according to Fox News, and later claimed in a tweet that the US and UK had “failed.”
Attempt of US & UK to discuss the Hong Kong issue in the UNSC FAILED
➡️NO agreement, facing strong
opposition from members
➡️NO open VTC held
➡️NO formal discussions by members
➡️NO outcome at all— Chinese Mission to UN (@Chinamission2un) May 29, 2020
In response, Craft condemned the move, stating that China “abhors transparency and fulfills its own international commitments and obligations only when it’s convenient for the Chinese Communist Party.”