BEIJING. China has decided to impose restrictions on the granting of visas to US citizens held responsible for misconduct on the Hong Kong issue, after Washington last week announced the restriction on the granting of visas to Chinese officials, both current and past, held accountable for the restrictions on the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by Hong Kong under the Basic Law, the Basic Law that governs the relationship of the former British colony with Beijing after returning to China in 1997.
The Hong Kong issue, said Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who announced the Chinese government’s decision, is a purely internal China issue and no foreign country has the right to interfere. China, he added, has a “firm determination” to safeguard its legitimate interests of national sovereignty and will oppose any external force wishing to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs. “The attempt by the United States to obstruct the national security law in Hong Kong”, whose approval is expected in the next few hours, Zhao said, “will never be successful”.
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