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US-China relations
China

US to put new visa limits on Hong Kong officials after Article 23 national security law passage

  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken targets those deemed ‘responsible for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms’
  • Blinken also certifies that Hong Kong will not receive the special trading status under US law

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves while disembarking from an aircraft as he arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek on March 17. Photo: AFP
Mark Magnierin New York

America’s top diplomat said on Friday that the US is preparing to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials deemed “responsible for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms” in the semi-autonomous city, without elaborating on the targets of the new sanctions.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken added in a statement that he would once again certify that Hong Kong will not receive the special consideration under US law that it enjoyed before its handover to China on July 1, 1997, and which remained in place for more than two decades afterwards.

“Over the past year, [China] has continued to take actions against Hong Kong’s promised high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and rights and freedoms,” Blinken said, citing the recent enactment of Article 23 of the Basic Law that “has broad and vaguely defined provisions regarding “sedition”, “state secrets”, and interactions with foreign entities”.

“These provisions could both be used to eliminate dissent inside Hong Kong and applied outside its borders as part of [China’s] ongoing campaign of transnational repression,” he added.

04:19

Hong Kong passes domestic national security law, fast-tracking legislation shelved for 2 decades

Hong Kong passes domestic national security law, fast-tracking legislation shelved for 2 decades
“We are committed to continuing to work with Congress and the international community to stand with the people in Hong Kong in calling for the restoration of Hongkongers’ protected rights and freedoms, the immediate release of those unjustly detained or imprisoned under the National Security Law” imposed by Beijing in 2020, he said.
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