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Donald Trump orders removal of Hong Kong's special status with US over new security law

Donald Trump ad been promising action over China for days - REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Donald Trump ad been promising action over China for days - REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Donald Trump has ordered the removal of exemptions that give Hong Kong special status in America in retaliation to Beijing’s new national security law for the territory.

The US president said in a White House press conference on Friday that China’s legislation, which critics have said will undermine free protests in the territory, was “deeply troubling”.

Mr Trump said that Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous from mainland China to enjoy the special privileges with the US in place since it left British control in 1997.

“Our actions will be strong, our actions will be meaningful”, Mr Trump said as he listed areas that would be impacted by his announcement.

He said the extradition treaty would be affected, vowed to change US travel guidance for the territory and threatened sanctions on officials who undermined Hong Kong’s freedoms.

Senior Hong Kong government officials lashed out at the move. Speaking hours after Mr Trump's announcement, security minister John Lee told reporters that Hong Kong's government could not be threatened and would push ahead with the new laws.

"I don't think they will succeed in using any means to threaten the (Hong Kong) government, because we believe what we are doing is right," Mr Lee said.

Justice minister Teresa Cheng said the basis for Mr Trump's actions was "completely false and wrong", saying the need for national security laws were legal and necessary.

The move comes amid growing tensions between the US and China, fuelled by Mr Trump’s public blame of Beijing for not doing more to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Mr Trump also announced that the US was “terminating” its relationship with the World Health Organisation, citing concerns it is biased towards China.

Mr Trump said that Beijing’s new law for the territory, which follows months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, would diminish the territory’s autonomy.

He said that and other measures have made clear “Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have offered the territory since the handover”.

The president said that the Chinese government’s actions mean the “one country, two systems” setup in place since the British handed over control has been replaced with a “one country, one system” approach.

“Therefore I am directing my administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment,” Mr Trump said.

One change Mr Trump explicitly mentioned was the extradition treaty. Another was export controls on dual-use technology.

A third was the revocation of Hong Kong’s preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory from the rest of China.

Mr Trump also said the US State Department’s travel guidance for Hong Kong would be changed to warn of “increased danger of surveillance and punishment” by the state.

And he threatened sanctions on any officials directly or indirectly involved in undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, claiming some were “absolutely smothering” freedoms there.

Mr Trump said he would also issue a proclamation on Friday to better safeguard vital university research by suspending the entry of foreign nationals from China identified as potential security risks.

Sources, including a current US official, told Reuters on Thursday that the latter move, which had been expected, could impact 3,000 to 5,000 Chinese graduate students.