The US declared on Friday that it was planning to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials who are responsible for suppressing rights in the Chinese city, following the implementation of a new national security law.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that in the last year, Beijing has continued to take actions against Hong Kong’s promised high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and rights and freedoms.
He mentioned that this crackdown involves the recent enactment of “Article 23,” a national security law targeting treason, insurrection, espionage, and theft of state secrets, among other crimes.
In response to increasing repression and limitations on civil society, media, and dissenting voices, the State Department is working to impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials, as stated in the announcement.
Blinken did not provide details on the specific visa measures or officials to be targeted.
His announcement follows Washington's yearly assessment of Hong Kong’s autonomy, a status promised by Beijing when Britain handed over the city in 1997.
“This year, I have again certified that Hong Kong does not warrant treatment under U.S. laws in the same manner as the laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1, 1997,” Blinken said.
Previously, Washington has imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on Hong Kong officials it accuses of undermining the rights and freedoms that distinguish the city from the rest of China.
In response to the suppression of the 2019 pro-democracy protests, the United States also revoked the financial hub’s special trade status in 2020.
China’s foreign ministry representative in Hong Kong strongly criticized Washington’s latest move, claiming that it is tarnishing the new security law and interfering in China’s internal affairs.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the annual review of Hong Kong’s autonomy as a farce and stated that it should be discarded.
In 2020, Beijing imposed a comprehensive national security law on Hong Kong to suppress the protests.
Article 23, which came into effect last week, is an additional, locally developed national security law that officials deemed necessary to address security loopholes.
The US government-funded news service Radio Free Asia announced on Friday that it had shut down its Hong Kong office following the enactment of the new law, citing concerns for the safety of its staff.
AFP
