Trump says the U.S. will respond 'very strongly' if China enacts legislation
The State Department accused China on Thursday of turning its back on commitments to keep Hong Kong semi-autonomous, after Beijing announced it was proposing national security legislation that would effectively limit opposition activity there.
Beijing’s recent statements, said Ortagus, “undermine the [People’s Republic of China’s] commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.” “If it happens we’ll address that issue very strongly,” Trump told reporters while departing the White House for Michigan, though he prefaced his remarks by saying that he did not know about the substance of the proposal. “I don’t know what it is, because nobody knows yet.”
But the development is all but certain to be addressed in the State Department’s coming determination, given Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement earlier this month that the report was being postponed to allow consideration of any Hong Kong-related policy initiatives announced during the NPC session, which had been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Other lawmakers went further, rapidly introducing resolutions condemning the proposal, as well as bills calling for sanctions against Chinese officials — despite the fact that the U.S. administration already has authority to sanction foreign individuals deemed responsible for the erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong.
Chris Patten, Britain’s last governor of the former colony, called Beijing’s proposal a “comprehensive assault” on Hong Kong’s autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms.
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