Hong Kong’s former No 2 Anson Chan meets Mike Pence in Washington as US report criticises Beijing ‘intervention’ in city’s affairs
- Charles Mok, Dennis Kwok and Chan were in Washington at the invitation of the Trump administration
- State Department report found that ‘tempo of mainland intervention in Hong Kong affairs’ had increased
US Vice-President Mike Pence met Hong Kong’s former deputy leader in Washington on Friday, the first time such a senior government official has done so since 2014 during the Obama administration.
Former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang, who is now a pro-democracy critic of the Hong Kong government, and opposition lawmakers Charles Mok and Dennis Kwok were in the US capital at the invitation of the White House.
The three met a senior National Security Council (NSC) staff member, and Chan had a brief discussion with Pence about Hong Kong citizens’ human rights, and the special trading relationship between the city and the United States, she told reporters outside the White House.
“The vice-president is clearly concerned about rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including religious rights,” said Chan, who five years ago met then vice-president Joe Biden at the White House.
Their 10-day trip, involving meetings with congressional committees, bar associations and think tanks, coincided with the release of the US government’s annual Hong Kong Policy Act Report.
