US say Hong Kong is 'no longer autonomous'

On 27 May 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo judged Hong Kong: “No longer autonomous”.

The State Department statement says:

Last week, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) National People’s Congress announced its intention to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong. Beijing’s disastrous decision is only the latest in a series of actions that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms and China’s own promises to the Hong Kong people under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a UN-filed international treaty.

The State Department is required by the Hong Kong Policy Act to assess the autonomy of the territory from China. After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997. No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground.

Hong Kong and its dynamic, enterprising, and free people have flourished for decades as a bastion of liberty, and this decision gives me no pleasure. But sound policy making requires a recognition of reality. While the United States 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.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong as they struggle against the CCP’s increasing denial of the autonomy that they were promised.

Johnny Patterson, Director of Hong Kong Watch says: “This is a momentous decision, and reflects the reality that the new National Security Bill shatters Hong Kong's autonomy. There is still a chance for Beijing to remove the bill and reset its course.

This strong response from Secretary of State Pompeo must be a wake-up call to the British government. The Chinese government have blatantly violated the handover treaty, and Boris Johnson must take action. He should coordinate an international contact group made up of like-minded countries and work together with other world leaders immediately develop a life-boat policy for British National (Overseas) passport holders and other Hong Kongers in need of a lifeline.”