United States president Donald Trump said Tuesday he issued an order to end Hong Kong’s special status with the US and signed legislation that would sanction Chinese officials responsible for cracking down on political dissent in the city.
Last month, China’s parliament passed a controversial national security law for Hong Kong that aims to tackle subversion, terrorism, separatism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison.
After that, the US said it will begin eliminating Hong Kong’s special status under US law, halting defence exports and restricting technology access: “The Chinese Communist Party’s decision to eviscerate Hong Kong’s freedoms has forced the Trump administration to re-evaluate its policies toward the territory. We can no longer distinguish between the export of controlled items to Hong Kong or to mainland China”, secretary of state Mike Pompeo said.
Under the US-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, the US treats Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous part of China, with its own legal and economic system, differently than the Chinese mainland in trade, commerce and other areas. Trump said that his order meant that Hong Kong would now be treated the same as mainland China.
The legislation would penalise banks doing business with Chinese officials involved in the national security law, and would give the president the power to seize the assets of and block entry to the US for those individuals. The Treasury department would also be able to impose penalties on institutions the State Department determines to be “primary offenders” when it comes to undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.
