The US imposes visa restrictions on Chinese officials due to the Hong Kong crisis / Article / LSM.lv

The US said on Friday it was imposing visa restrictions on a number of Chinese officials accused of violating Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Visa restrictions have been imposed on a number of current and former Chinese Communist Party officials “responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s freedoms,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

These officials are “responsible for, or complicit in, the threat to Hong Kong’s high level of autonomy,” the secretary of state said, referring to the autonomy that Beijing pledged to respect before regaining control of the British colony in 1997.

“The United States calls on China to honor its commitments and obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” Pompeo said in a statement, calling for respect for “freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

As Beijing continues its efforts to enforce the controversial national security law in Hong Kong, the U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a bill imposing economic sanctions on Chinese officials that threaten Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The bill provides for sanctions against Chinese officials and the Hong Kong police, as well as banks that cooperate with them.

The bill must be approved by the House of Representatives.

Proponents of the bill explain that they want to impose a real fee on Chinese officials, not just come up with condemnation statements.

Beijing proposed a new national security law following pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which was passed by the Chinese parliament as necessary to combat “terrorism” and “separatism.”

Opponents of the law fear that it will lead to political repression, reducing the freedoms and autonomy that were guaranteed when Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997.

The former British colony of Hong Kong, one of the world’s largest financial centers, has the status of an autonomous territory and a different justice system, and its citizens enjoy more rights than the rest of communist-ruled China. This status of Hong Kong until 2047, or 50 years after its return to China, is determined by the London-Beijing agreement.

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