Hong Kong should provide assurances that it will preserve internet freedom if it wants to remain a major economic hub, the top US diplomat in the city said Thursday.
The Chinese city, which was promised autonomy when Britain handed it back in 1997, on Wednesday demanded that online platforms take down an anthem of pro-democracy protesters after a court banned the song.
“Hong Kong authorities have stepped onto that slippery slope of trying to censor some content on the internet and it begs the question — where is this going to end?” Consul General Gregory May told an online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
May said that an open internet was a major advantage of Hong Kong over mainland China, whose tight online controls “make life very difficult for foreign companies.”
“I do believe companies and individuals would very much appreciate a stronger and clearer assurance by Hong Kong authorities that the internet is going to remain basically free and open,” May said.
“I believe that Hong Kong wants to remain a very competitive place and maintain a very competitive environment. But I think they could say more explicitly what their plans in this space are.”
Since authorities cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2019, the United States has revoked a special trading status for Hong Kong and imposed sanctions on its officials.
May said the top concern for Washington was growing “transnational repression” by Hong Kong police against critics based in the United States.
But he said the United States was willing to respond to improvements.
“If we see a change of course, we’re very open to doing what we can to try to get on a better footing and a better relationship with Hong Kong,” he said.
