The US has declared it no longer considers Hong Kong autonomous from China, in a decision that could presage the end of the special trade status Washington has granted the territory and was likely to ratchet up tensions with China, reported the Financial Times.
“No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground,” said Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state.
Pompeo’s recommendation was the most serious response by the Trump administration to Beijing’s decision to impose a new security law on Hong Kong, a move that has raised concerns about the territory’s future as a financial centre.
“While the US once hoped that free and prosperous Hong Kong would provide a model for authoritarian China, it is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself,” Pompeo said.
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