HONG KONG – The city of Hong Kong will consider countermeasures against the sanctions slapped on its chief executive and 10 officials by the United States, the secretary for commerce and economic development said on Saturday (Aug 8).
Mr Edward Yau’s response came in a local radio programme, where he declared the sanctions imposed by the White House on Friday, in response to China’s national security law for Hong Kong, to be “unreasonable and barbarous”.
He warned that over the longer term, the move by Washington, described as “blatant interference” in Hong Kong affairs, would hurt US interest in Hong Kong too.
“Looking at the wider interest between Hong Kong and the US, such imposition of unreasonable measures would send a very wrong signal to US investment in Hong Kong.
“Ultimately, I think the toll will be back on the US, and of course, it will definitely hurt Hong Kong-US relations,” said Mr Yau, who is not among those sanctioned.
In a statement on Saturday, the Hong Kong government had slammed the move by Washington as “shameless and despicable”, adding that “we will fully support the central government to adopt countermeasures”.
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), a pro-establishment body, “strongly protested” against the US sanctions in a statement issued on Saturday.
“It is only natural that relevant officials implement national policies and laws on behalf of the country. The so-called sanctions are actually aimed at China,” it said, pointing to worsening China-US ties.
Late on Friday night, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet that the US will not stand by while the people of Hong Kong suffer “brutal oppression at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party or its enablers”.
His comments came after the US imposed sanctions – which allows the freezing of assets in the US and bans those on the blacklist from doing any business in the US – on Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 10 other top Hong Kong and mainland officials.
On the Hong Kong side, they are Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang, his predecessor, Mr Stephen Lo, Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng, Security Secretary John Lee and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang.
Mainland officials who were not spared are chief of the liaison office in Hong Kong Luo Huining, director of the new Office for Safeguarding National Security Zheng Yanxiong, and secretary-general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security Eric Chan.
Mr Luo on Saturday said the sanctions against him indicated he was doing what he “should be doing for my country and Hong Kong”, a statement on the liaison office’s website stated.
The US Treasury Department had said Mrs Lam was sanctioned as she “is directly responsible for implementing Beijing’s policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes”.
Mrs Lam had scoffed at the prospect of being targeted by US sanctions, telling reporters on July 31 that she would “just laugh it off” if it happened. “I do not have any assets in the US nor do I long for moving to the US.”
Associate Professor Alfred Wu of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said the US order serves as a signal to China “but does not impact the given persons too much politically and financially”.
This is because those on the blacklist are “senior in the party-state apparatus” and their personal interests are tied to their positions, although the sanctions will create many difficulties for the 11 officials in many countries and in the banking sector, he said.
What would be more hurtful is if the US moves on to target mid-level officials who are involved in Hong Kong affairs, Prof Wu added.
WASHINGTON: A ban by President Donald Trump's administration on Chinese mobile apps such as TikTok and WeChat risks fragmenting an already fragile global Internet and creating an American version of China's "Great Firewall."
Fears about the global Internet ecosystem intensified this week with Trump's executive orders banning the popular video app TikTok and Chinese social network WeChat, following a US government directive to prohibit the use of other "untrusted" applications and services from China.
The restrictions announced on the basis of what Trump called national security threats move further away from the long-promoted American ideal of a global, open Internet and could invite other countries to follow suit, analysts said.
"It's really an attempt to fragment the Internet and the global information society along US and Chinese lines, and shut China out of the information economy," said Milton Mueller, a Georgia Tech University professor and founder of the Internet Governance Project.
Mueller said this represents a move "to create a Western firewall" similar to the Chinese barrier, which would be enforced with US economic sanctions globally.
This could backfire on Silicon Valley giants which dominate the online world outside China because "there are lots of nationalistic governments around the world which could make the same claims about Apple and Google and Facebook and Twitter, that they are sucking up data," Mueller said.
"It will be open season on nationalistic blockages and regulations on these social media apps."
'CLEAN NETWORK' PLAN
Trump made good this week on his threats against WeChat and TikTok - two apps with major audiences.
Using executive order authority, Trump gave Americans 45 days to stop doing business with the Chinese platforms, effectively setting a deadline for a potential, under-pressure sale of TikTok by its parent firm ByteDance to Microsoft.
US moves to ban Chinese-owned mobile app TikTok could set a precedent for moves by other countries to limit American internet companies, analysts say. (Photo: AFP/Olivier Douliery)
His actions follow a "Clean Network" directive from the State Department that would bar "untrusted" apps and services from China from being used by American carriers and installed on devices in the US.
This could lead to a competitive and confusing situation in parts of the world forced to choose between the US and Chinese ecosystems, said independent technology analyst Richard Windsor.
"The digital divide between China and the West is coming down and countries caught in the middle (Africa and parts of Asia) will have to decide on which side they wish to remain," Windsor said on his Radio Free Mobile blog.
'CYBER SOVEREIGNTY' MOVE
Adam Segal, director of the digital and cyberspace policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the US actions point to a notion of "cyber sovereignty" long promoted by China and opposed by the United States.
"This is really a Chinese idea, that (a country) has the right to separate itself from the global Internet by banning or limiting foreign technology," Segal said.
"The US used to argue the opposite, that we want a free and open Internet."
Segal noted that the global Internet has been "on shaky ground" amid moves in Russia, India and other countries to limit data flows.
But the actions by Washington this week "undermine the US ability to promote these ideas, and could have some backlash for US companies," he said.
Daniel Castro of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said the US actions suggest "a serious risk of Internet fragmentation" if carried out.
"The United States should be careful about arguing that there is an inherent national security risk of using technologies from foreign companies," Castro said.
"If other countries apply that same logic, US tech companies will be locked out of many foreign markets."
SHANGHAI - China has "firmly opposed" United States President Donald Trump's orders to ban popular Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat, calling it an act of political manipulation that overrides market principles.
Both orders state in similar language that any "transactions" between Americans or American firms, and the parent companies of both apps - Chinese tech giants ByteDance and Tencent respectively - would be banned, citing national security concerns. The orders take effect on Sept 20.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Washington was using national security as a pretext to use national power to unreasonably suppress Chinese enterprises, calling it a "naked hegemonic act".
While he said Beijing "firmly opposed" the latest moves, he stopped short of spelling out what countermeasures China would take.
"The US side does not hesitate to harm the rights and interests of the majority of American users and companies. It will override market principles and international rules, and wilfully carry out political manipulations and political suppression," he said.
"The only result will be a decline in its own moral standing, national image and international trust in the US."
Mr Trump's orders do not spell out what sort of transactions would be banned, stating that this would be defined by the US Secretary of Commerce.
The orders pointed out that both apps "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users".
In relation to WeChat, a widely used messaging and payment platform in China, it added that this data collection allows access the Chinese Communist Party access to personal and proprietary data from Americans.
"In addition, the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives," it said.
Washington's latest move also turns up the pressure on ByteDance, which is in the middle of negotiating a sale of short video-sharing app TikTok to Microsoft. Mr Trump has threatened to ban the app, which reportedly has 100 million users in the US, unless it is sold to an American firm.
It is still unclear how users of both apps would be affected by the Trump administration's latest move.
But transactions that could be banned include purchases of ads on the apps and agreements to make them available on app stores, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing an administration official.
Analysts have also said that a ban on WeChat, which is widely used for communication by Chinese businesses, could make it harder for US and Chinese firms to communicate with one another.
The orders by Mr Trump come a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on US companies to remove "untrusted" Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok and WeChat from their app stores. It was a part of a series of measures under a "Clean Network" programme that he unveiled to protect American data.
Bilateral relations between Beijing and Washington are at a historic low, with increasing confrontation in the past months over trade, technology, espionage and the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Experts say the latest moves mark a significant upping of the ante in the competition between both sides.
Dr Wang Huiyao, president of the Beijing-based think tank Centre for China and Globalisation, said Washington's latest measures went against the spirit of free enterprise and competition.
"We haven't seen this kind of language for a long time. This will intensify tensions and accelerate the technical decoupling between China and the US," he said.
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Aug 6) unveiled sweeping bans on US transactions with China’s ByteDance, owner of video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, operator of messenger app WeChat, in a major escalation of tensions with Beijing.
The orders come as the Trump administration said this week that it was stepping up efforts to purge “untrusted” Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat “significant threats”.
TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app, has come under fire from US lawmakers and the administration over national security concerning data collection, amid intensified tension between Washington and Beijing.
The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the US “must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security”, Mr Trump said in one order.
In the other, Mr Trump said WeChat “automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information”.
The order would effectively ban WeChat in the US in 45 days by barring “to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd” .
Mr Trump issued these orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that grants the administration sweeping power to bar US firms or citizens from trading or conducting financial transactions with sanctioned parties.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expanded efforts on a program dubbed “Clean Network” to prevent various Chinese apps as well as Chinese telecoms firms from accessing sensitive information on US citizens and businesses.
James Lewis, a technology expert with Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the orders appeared coordinated with Pompeo’s announcement.
“This is the rupture in the digital world between the U.S. and China,” he said. “Absolutely, China will retaliate.”
“On TikTok, Trump is clearly putting pressure on Bytedance to close the deal,” Lewis said.
TikTok has 100 million users in the United States. While WeChat is not popular in the country, the app, which has over 1 billion users, is ubiquitous in China. It is also widely used by expat Chinese as a main platform for communications with family and friends as well as a medium for various other services such as games and e-commerce.
WeChat and TikTok were among 59 mostly Chinese apps outlawed in India in June for threatening the country’s “sovereignty and integrity.”
Operator Tencent is China’s second most-valuable company after Alibaba at US$686 billion. It is also China’s biggest video game company and earlier this summer opened California-based studio.
Tencent's shares fell nearly 10 per cent in Hong Kong after Trump’s order. The yuan, which is sensitive to Sino-U.S. relations, lost 0.4 per cent.
Tencent and ByteDance declined to comment.
The latest move comes soon after the US ordered China to vacate its consulate in Houston, Texas, followed by China’s order requiring the US to vacate its consulate in the south-western city of Chengdu.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will identify transactions covered by the prohibition after the order takes effect in mid-September.
The order leaves key unanswered questions about the restrictions.
SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia have finalised arrangements for cross-border travel via the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA), and both schemes will be open for applications next Monday (Aug 10).
The PCA will allow Singapore and Malaysia citizens or Permanent Residents (PRs) who hold long-term immigration passes for business and work purposes in the other country to enter that country for work.
The other cross-border travel scheme - the RGL - is for Malaysia and Singapore residents keen to do shorter-term travel of up to 14 days, for essential business and official purposes.
For those who need to travel for work purposes, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions based on information released by the authorities so far.
Q: How can Malaysian citizens/ Permanent Residents holding a Singapore work permit apply for PCA and when can they return home?
A: Under the PCA, Malaysia Citizens and PRs with valid Singapore work passes should remain in Singapore for at least 90 days before returning to Malaysia for home leave. Those eligible to apply will need to have the following passes – Employment Pass, EntrePass, Personalised Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit. The pass should be valid for at least 15 days from the date of entry into Singapore.
The entry and exit point between Singapore and Malaysia must be via the land crossings - Woodlands Checkpoint or Tuas Checkpoint.
When they enter Singapore, travellers under this scheme are required to serve a Stay-Home Notice (SHN) of at least 7 days and undertake a COVID-19 swab test. The employee must remain in the declared SHN accommodation for at least 7 days from the date of entry into Singapore and test negative for COVID-19, whichever is later. Once the employee has served the SHN and tests negative for COVID-19, the employee can commence work.
Authorities conducting temperature screening at Tuas checkpoint on Jan 24, 2020. (Photo: TODAY/Najeer Yusof)
Singapore-based companies that wish to apply for the PCA for their employees may submit their applications from Aug 10 at 12pm onwards, through CorpPass.
Employers may choose a date of entry within a 60-day window of their application. All applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Employers must submit their applications at least 7 days before their employees enter Singapore.
Q: For Malaysia citizens/PRs who have entered Singapore via PCA, what are some of the health protocols involved?
A: After clearing immigration, the employees will have to take their personal transport. These include motorbikes, private buses that only ferry Malaysian passengers who are serving SHN, or taxis and private hire cars directly from the immigration checkpoint to the declared SHN accommodation. They should not stop at any other destination along the journey.
If they are being driven, the employees should indicate clearly to the driver that they are serving an SHN. The employee should not take public transport or flag down a taxi while serving the SHN.
A healthcare worker dressed in personal protective equipment collects a nasal swab sample for COVID-19 in Singapore on Apr 27, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
Those under SHN will only be permitted to leave their accommodation to head to the designated testing facility for the COVID-19 swab test on the assigned date and appointment time of swabbing, with similar transportation restrictions.
The employee or the employer will bear the costs of the employee’s accommodation for the SHN and post-arrival COVID-19 swab test in Singapore, subject to prevailing Ministry of Manpower requirements.
Q: For Singapore citizens/PRs holding a Malaysia work permit, how different is the procedure to obtain PCA?
A: The minimum duration of stay as well as the entry and exit points are the same.
Those eligible to apply for a PCA must hold a long term visa for business or work purposes in Malaysia.
Employers can apply for PCA for their employees to enter Malaysia via the MyTravelPass online application at least 10 working days before the date of travel. Employers also need to provide a letter of appointment and copy of passport during the application.
Meanwhile, as part of health protocols outlined by Malaysia’s Immigration Department, employees will be subject to a modified Home Surveillance Order (HSO) for 7 days.
They must also undertake a COVID-19 test via antibody test kits at the end of HSO and will be released from HSO if tested negative. Travellers must also subscribe to the MySejahtera application, developed by the Malaysia government to manage the COVID-19 outbreak and conduct contact tracing across the country.
These travellers may also apply for a waiver for their SHN during the duration of their short-term home leave in Singapore, after spending at least 90 days working in Malaysia.
According to Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the intent of the Malaysia-issued PCA passes is to allow Singapore Citizens and PRs to re-enter Malaysia after their home leave, to continue with their business or work. In lieu of SHN, the returnee will undergo a COVID-19 swab test upon arrival at Woodlands Checkpoint or Tuas Checkpoint in Singapore, at their own cost.
Q: How can a Singapore resident apply for RGL to visit Malaysia?
A: All nationalities who are legal residents in Singapore and need to enter Malaysia for essential business travel and official purposes can apply for RGL. This will be approved on a single-entry basis.
Unlike the PCA where employees may only travel via the land crossings, individuals entering the other country via RGL may also travel via air. Hence, Singapore residents may also fly to Malaysia via direct flights and enter through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), KLIA2 and Penang International Airport.
The maximum period of stay is 14 days. Travellers are required to submit and adhere to a controlled itinerary throughout the duration of their visit.
Before departing Singapore for Malaysia, the traveller’s sponsoring enterprise or government agency in Malaysia will apply on behalf of the applicant. This should be done at least 10 days before the date of travel. The sponsor would also need to provide a traveller certificate to certify that traveller has tested negative for COVID-19 via a swab test taken within 72 hours before departure.
Health workers collect samples for COVID-19 testing in Gombak on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on Apr 22, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
Documents needed for online application are a copy of the traveller’s passport, letter of invitation, an itinerary for the duration of stay, proof of hotel accommodation as well as health and travel history declaration.
Upon arrival in Malaysia, the traveller will be transferred to accommodation via transport provided by the sponsor or government agency. The traveller is also required to subscribe to the MySejahtera mobile app, and undertake a COVID-19 swab test at the point of entry or 24 hours of arriving in Malaysia.
If tested positive, the traveller will be accorded the necessary medical treatment by the Malaysia government. If tested negative, the traveller may proceed with the controlled itinerary.
Q: Is the process any different for Malaysia residents applying for RGL to enter Singapore?
A: All legal residents in Malaysia, who need to make single-entry, short-term essential travel to Singapore for business and official purposes, are eligible to apply for the RGL.
Similarly, travellers have to take a swab test within 72 hours of departure.
Residents in Malaysia seeking to travel to Singapore for short-term essential business or official travel via the RGL must be hosted by a company or a government agency in Singapore.
The host company can self-sponsor and file the application for a SafeTravel Pass on behalf of the traveller either directly or through a sponsoring government agency.
When the SafeTravel Pass application is approved, an approval letter will be issued to the sponsoring company or government agency by email within three working days.
With this letter, an approved applicant who is a visa-required passport holder may then apply for a visa for travel to Singapore through the usual channels at least four working days before departure.
A health worker takes a COVID-19 nasal swab test sample from an essential worker in Singapore, Jun 10, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
If the applicant already has an existing valid visa, the visa suspension will be lifted when the SafeTravel Pass is approved, and the traveller need not apply for a new visa.
For travellers entering Singapore by air, they are encouraged to pre-register and pre-pay for the COVID-19 swab test prior to entry into Singapore. Preregistration and pre-payment can be made at the online portal and travellers should expect to pay around S$300 for the test upon arrival at the airport.
For travellers entering Singapore by land, travellers will make payment at the testing stations located at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoint. Only card payments or PayPal are accepted. Travellers should expect to pay around S$200 for the test upon arrival at the land checkpoints.
Q: Is travel for study or leisure purposes permitted via PCA or RGL?
A: No, the PCA and RGL are not to facilitate movement for students or tourists across the border. SafeTravel Passes are only issued to travellers making short-term essential business and official travel. These passes are not applicable for tourists.
Travellers seeking to enter Singapore for study may wish to visit the ICA website.
Meanwhile, those seeking to enter Malaysia for purposes other than essential business and official travel should contact the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore for further details.
Q: What about emergency travel for compassionate reasons, to attend a funeral or visit a sick loved one?
Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Jul 26 that both countries were working on terms to allow people to travel between Singapore and Malaysia on compassionate reasons such as to visit their loved ones who are sick or to attend funerals.
He said that this category of people moving across borders is on a “much smaller scale” and authorities are working out arrangements to facilitate this. However, no details have been announced yet.
