United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday Washington was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms or undermining autonomy in Hong Kong.
“President Trump promised to punish the Chinese Communist Party officials who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong’s freedoms. Today, we are taking action to do just that,” Pompeo began in his statement.
“Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, as guaranteed in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, or undermining human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.”
The State Department refused to disclose the number or names of people targeted, but a department official told a Bloomberg columnist that the number of officials was “in the single digits”. Family members of those designated would also be banned from traveling to the US, the source added.
“The Chinese Communist Party has stepped up efforts to undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy by announcing Beijing’s authority to ‘supervise’ Hong Kong’s governance, accusing at least one member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council of misconduct, and moving to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong,” Pompeo condemned. “At the same time, Beijing continues to undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong by putting pressure on local authorities to arrest pro-democracy activists and disqualify pro-democracy electoral candidates.”
Pompeo called on China to honor its commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, adding that “the United States will continue to review its authorities to respond to these concerns.”
Chinese embassy called the move to impose visa restrictions “a wrongful decision” and urged the US to “immediately correct its mistakes.”
The US Senate on Friday unanimously approved the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (The Act), which would lay out mandatory sanctions on people or companies that back any crackdown on Hong Kong’s autonomy, including banks that do “significant transactions” with identified violators.
The Hong Kong government released a press statement the same evening, urging the US Congress to stop interfering in the territory’s internal matters. "Any 'sanctions' imposed under The Act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law. We however urge the US side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve," the spokesperson warned.
Felix Chung Kwok-pan, leader of the pro-business Liberal Party, told a radio interview today that The Act would pose “a significant threat to the business sector in Hong Kong” and undermine companies that do business with Hong Kong officials. Chung expected the new legislation to bring far greater consequences than the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed last year, as it does not only take aim at officials that jeopardize Hong Kong’s autonomy, but also their families, related entities and banks.