By David Brunnstrom and Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The USA mentioned on Friday it is going to impose new visa restrictions on a variety of Hong Kong officers over the crackdown on rights and freedoms within the Chinese language-ruled territory.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned that previously 12 months China continued to take actions towards Hong Kong’s promised excessive diploma of autonomy, democratic establishments, and rights and freedoms, together with with the latest enactment of a brand new nationwide safety regulation often called Article 23.
“In response, the Division of State is asserting that it’s taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on a number of Hong Kong officers liable for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms,” Blinken mentioned in an announcement.
The assertion didn’t determine the officers who can be focused.
In November, Hong Kong condemned a U.S. invoice calling for sanctions towards 49 Hong Kong officers, judges and prosecutors concerned in nationwide safety circumstances, saying U.S. legislators had been grandstanding and attempting to intimidate town.
Officers named in that Hong Kong Sanctions Act included Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, Police chief Raymond Siu and judges Andrew Cheung, Andrew Chan, Johnny Chan, Alex Lee, Esther Toh and Amanda Woodcock.
The USA has imposed visa restrictions and different sanctions up to now on Hong Kong officers blamed for undermining freedoms and introduced an finish to the particular financial remedy the territory lengthy loved below U.S. regulation.
It has additionally warned that overseas monetary establishments that conduct enterprise with them can be topic to sanctions.
The U.S. Hong Kong Coverage Act requires the State Division to report annually to Congress on situations in Hong Kong.
“This 12 months, I’ve once more licensed that Hong Kong doesn’t warrant remedy below U.S. legal guidelines in the identical method because the legal guidelines had been utilized to Hong Kong earlier than July 1, 1997,” Blinken mentioned, referring to when Hong Kong was handed again to China by Britain.
“This 12 months’s report catalogs the intensifying repression and ongoing crackdown by PRC and Hong Kong authorities on civil society, media, and dissenting voices, together with via the issuance of bounties and arrest warrants for greater than a dozen pro-democracy activists residing outdoors Hong Kong,” Blinken mentioned, referring to the Folks’s Republic of China.
The Commissioner’s Workplace of China’s Ministry of International Affairs in Hong Kong mentioned the report and statements issued by Blinken “confused proper and fallacious” and “stigmatized” Hong Kong’s nationwide safety regulation and town’s electoral system.
The menace to sanction Hong Kong officers “grossly interferes” in Hong Kong affairs and China’s inner affairs, a spokesperson mentioned in an announcement issued on Saturday.
“As a substitute of appearing because the world’s policeman and issuing an annual ‘Hong Kong Coverage Act report’, america ought to take time to look at itself.”
China’s embassy in Washington mentioned it strongly deplored and firmly opposed U.S. threats to “impose unwarranted unilateral sanctions” on Hong Kong.
“The U.S. aspect disregards details, makes irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong affairs, and ranges groundless accusations” on the Chinese language and Hong Kong governments, the embassy posted on its web site.
“The US ought to instantly cease interfering in Hong Kong affairs and different inner affairs of China,” it mentioned.
U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia mentioned on Friday it had closed its Hong Kong bureau, citing issues over workers security after the enactment of the brand new nationwide safety regulation.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese language rule with the assure that its excessive diploma of autonomy and freedoms can be protected below a “one nation, two programs” formulation.
In recent times, many pro-democracy politicians and activists have been jailed or gone into exile, and liberal media retailers and civil society teams have been shut down.
This month, in a joint assertion, 145 neighborhood and advocacy teams condemned the safety regulation and known as for sanctions on officers concerned in its passage, and a assessment of the standing of Hong Kong’s Financial & Commerce Workplaces worldwide.
