The State Department announced on Wednesday that it is ending three agreements with Hong Kong, amid China’s collapse on territorial freedoms – and growing tensions between the US and the communist regime.
“The Chinese Communist Party chose to crush the freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet.
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In a statement, the State Department noted the “drastic steps to erode the high degree of autonomy that Beijing itself has promised 50 years to the United Kingdom and the people of Hong Kong under the UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
That declaration, which promised “one country, two systems”, was undermined by a recent package of harsh national security laws, adopted by Beijing, which drastically restricted freedoms and political oppositions – especially the flourishing pro-democracy movement.
President Trump last month signed an executive order to change relations and end preferential treatment for Hong Kong. The suspension of the agreements, on extractions and reciprocal exemption from income tax resulting from the international operation on ships, are a consequence of that order.
“These steps underscore our deep concern at Beijing’s decision to implement the National Security Act, which violated the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong,” State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. .
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The latest moves come after the administration announced earlier this month that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had been sanctioned as part of a wave of measures against Hong Kong officials.
Among the other sanctioned officials were the Hong Kong Police Commissioner, the Hong Kong Security Secretary, the Secretary of Justice and the Secretary of Constitutional Affairs. China has fired back by sanctioning a number of U.S. lawmakers.
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Hong Kong is just one aspect of the US-China relationship that has been dramatically damaged in recent months. The US has also criticized Chinese movements in the South China Sea, moved against fears that China may use technology to retrieve data from US users, and has continued to comment on the Chinese origins of the coronavirus pandemic .
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
