HSBC gets veiled rebuke from UK government over Hong Kong

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab voiced a thinly veiled criticism of HSBC on Monday after the bank backed China’s national security law for Hong Kong, contradicting the British government’s opposition to it.

“In relation to HSBC, ultimately businesses will make their own judgement calls,” Raab told a daily news briefing in response to a question from Reuters about what message he would send to the bank.

“But let me just put it this way, we will not sacrifice the people of Hong Kong over the altar of banker bonuses.”

HSBC has faced criticism from several senior British and U.S. politicians over its backing for Beijing’s controversial law.

(Reporting by Liz Piper, William James and David Milliken; writing by Costas Pitas, editing by Estelle Shirbon)