U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has notified Congress that the administration led by Donald Trump no longer considers Hong Kong autonomous from mainland China.
The notification paves the way for the United States to withdraw its preferential commercial and financial status from the former British colony since it was transferred to China in 1997.
“No reasonable person can claim today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China,” Pompeo said in a statement.
“Beijing’s disastrous decision is simply the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally compromise Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedom and China’s own promises to the people of Hong Kong under the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” added the chief of American diplomacy.
Mike Pompeo’s position comes after China announced last week that the National People’s Assembly (APN), China’s highest legislative body, will move ahead with a national security law for Hong Kong.
