HONG KONG
In a recent television interview Secretary of State Pompeo commented on the unrest in Hong Kong, saying that “these are protesters who are simply seeking liberty and freedom. They’re asking only that China uphold its commitment, the promise that it made, which was that there would be one country but two systems, respecting Hong Kong in ways that were appropriate for the Hong Kong people. That’s what President Trump’s made clear. He said he is for liberty, he is for democracy, and we hope that the Chinese Government will respect that.”
The protests are ongoing and have attracted several million Chinese participants in recent weeks. The Chinese leadership in Beijing does not readily accept the rights of the protesters or their complaints as legitimate. “Luan,” or chaos, from the government’s perspective is disruptive to society and counterproductive. Without a history of freedom of speech or other individual rights, western analysts remain unsure how long Beijing will tolerate the unrest.
In June 1989 the Chinese government forcefully removed student protesters from Tiananmen Square in a massive military move resulting in the deaths of thousands of its own citizens. Today Chinese President Xi faces criticism from many nations for repressing the protesters as well as from domestic constituencies divided between hardliners in the military who would like to see the unrest end and a nascent civil society of human rights advocates supporting the demonstrators. The decision Xi makes will have significant fallout. Extreme repression of the protesters in Hong Kong could further drive Taiwan toward the United States and make military action one of the few remaining options for Beijing to gain control of the island. Xi could also face additional scrutiny from the international community, further sanctions, and a loss of confidence by neighboring countries that China has been wooing as it rises in power as a new Pacific hegemon.
CHINA/VIETNAM
China continues to take aggressive action in the South China Sea. The United States is “deeply concerned” as China is continuing its interference with Vietnam’s longstanding oil and gas activities in Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claim. On August 13 China redeployed a government-owned survey vessel, together with armed escorts, into waters offshore Vietnam near Vanguard Bank in what is viewed as an escalation by Beijing in its efforts to intimidate other claimants out of developing resources in the South China Sea.
According to the State Department, this calls into “serious question” China’s commitment, including to the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes.
China’s actions undermine regional peace and security, impose economic costs on Southeast Asian states by blocking their access to an estimated $2.5 trillion in unexploited hydrocarbon resources, and demonstrate China’s disregard for the rights of countries to undertake economic activities in their EEZs, under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, which China ratified in 1996, according to the State Department.
GEORGIA
The United States is “troubled by reports that Russian-backed de facto authorities have resumed the installation of fencing on Georgian territory near the administrative boundary line of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of South Ossetia,” according to the State Department spokesperson. The creation of the “border” separates families, affects local farming, and hurts critical infrastructure in the region.
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IRAN-SYRIA
An Iranian oil tanker, the Bonita Queen, is sailing towards Syria in violation of sanctions placed on Iran. The State Department confirmed Secretary Pompeo is aware of the situation and that Washington views the shipment as aiding terrorism conducted by the Assad regime.
Secretary Pompeo stated on August 22 that if the ship heads to Syria “we’ll take every action we can consistent with those sanctions to prevent that.” He also used the opportunity to reinforce the United States’ strong position that all ports in the Mediterranean “should be wary of accepting any ship which is carrying Iranian oil and violating US sanctions.” According to the State Department, if crew members on board a ship violating sanctions or others assist it, they may be ineligible for visas and admission to the United States.
CUBA
This week the State Department strongly condemned Cuba’s prosecution of Roberto Quinones. His crime: reporting on a pastor home-schooling his child. The Cuban regime has a long history of violating human rights, including the right of freedom of expression and fair trial guarantees. In this latest case Quinones, on August 7, the Cuban regime convicted Quinones on dubious charges of resistance and disobedience and sentenced him to one year in a labor camp.
His detention and trial, according to the State Department, were marked by the “flagrant disregard for legal norms that are typical of the Cuban regime.” Cuban authorities did not inform Quinones of the charges against him until minutes before the trial and did not permit him legal representation in the courtroom, it said. In addition, the Cuban regime’s prosecutors did not permit Quinones to present evidence of his injuries at the hands of the police who arrested him. Adding cruelty to injustice, regime officials have refused to allow Quinones to visit his ailing father. The Trump Administration uses targeted sanctions and trade restrictions aimed at the regime to limit it from obtaining outside resources it can use to further oppress its citizens and to prop up the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.
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