The US warned Hong Kong that assisting sanctioned people could threaten its status as a financial hub, after a megayacht linked to one of Russia’s richest men docked in the territory’s harbor.
The US$500 million Nord vessel tied to tycoon Alexey Mordashov arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday last week, after making a week-long voyage from the Russian city of Vladivostok. Mordashov, believed to be an ally of President Vladimir Putin, was sanctioned by the EU, the UK and the US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
“The possible use of Hong Kong as a safe haven by individuals evading sanctions from multiple jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the business environment,” a US Department of State spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.
Photo: Reuters
The territory’s reputation as a financial center depends on its adherence to international laws and standards, the spokesperson added.
The Hong Kong Marine Department on Friday said that while it enforces UN Security Council sanctions, it does not implement “unilateral sanctions imposed by other jurisdictions.”
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) has been sanctioned by the US, along with several other territory officials, for his role in the government’s crackdown on civil liberties.
There are concerns Russian tycoons might seek to circumvent sanctions imposed by the US and its allies by shifting their assets to Hong Kong. China has refused to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, with President Xi Jinping (習近平) declaring a “no limits” friendship with Putin on the eve of the invasion.
“US companies increasingly view Hong Kong’s business environment with wariness,” the US spokesperson said, adding that China’s move to dilute the territory’s political autonomy had exacerbated such concerns. “We strongly encourage all jurisdictions to take actions under their domestic authorities to help implement sanctions.”
More than a dozen yachts connected to sanctioned Russian oligarchs have been seized by US and European governments to punish them for their ties to Putin. Mordashov, the largest shareholder in steelmaker Severstal, in May joined other businessmen in trying to challenge the restrictions in European courts.
When Nord, which features two helipads, a cinema and 20 luxury cabins, departed Vladivostok, it listed the Vietnamese port of Da Nang as its destination. A few days later it changed its destination to Hong Kong, vessel location data showed.
The ship also changed its flag — the maritime authority under which the vessel is registered — to Russia from the Cayman Islands in June, Marine Traffic showed.
A fire caused by a burst gas pipe yesterday spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city, injuring more than 100 people. The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid al-Fitr. National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the
US Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday accused Denmark of not having done enough to protect Greenland, when he visited the strategically placed and resource-rich Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. Vance made his comment during a trip to the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, a visit viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation. “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance told a news conference. “You have under-invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under-invested in the security architecture of this
Japan unveiled a plan on Thursday to evacuate around 120,000 residents and tourists from its southern islets near Taiwan within six days in the event of an “emergency”. The plan was put together as “the security situation surrounding our nation grows severe” and with an “emergency” in mind, the government’s crisis management office said. Exactly what that emergency might be was left unspecified in the plan but it envisages the evacuation of around 120,000 people in five Japanese islets close to Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has stepped up military pressure in recent years, including
UNREST: The authorities in Turkey arrested 13 Turkish journalists in five days, deported a BBC correspondent and on Thursday arrested a reporter from Sweden Waving flags and chanting slogans, many hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators on Saturday rallied in Istanbul, Turkey, in defence of democracy after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu which sparked Turkey’s worst street unrest in more than a decade. Under a cloudless blue sky, vast crowds gathered in Maltepe on the Asian side of Turkey’s biggest city on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr celebration which started yesterday, marking the end of Ramadan. Ozgur Ozel, chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which organized the rally, said there were 2.2 million people in the crowd, but
RSS