Hong Kong Watch strongly condemns non-renewal of Executive Order 13936

Hong Kong Watch strongly opposes the non-renewal of the national emergency declared under Executive Order 13936 on Hong Kong Normalization, originally issued in 2020 during President Trump’s first term.  

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) was the first to break the news that the order would not be renewed and would be allowed to expire on July 14, 2026. The US Treasury Department subsequently confirmed the decision, which follows recent trade talks between Washington and Beijing.  

The lifting of the national emergency indicates the lifting of sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including Hong Kong Justice Secretary Paul Lam, Hong Kong National Security Department Chief Sonny Au, and former Hong Kong Police Commissioners Raymond Siu and Stephen Lo. It could also pave the way for the restoration of Hong Kong’s preferential trade treatment, including export control exemptions that had been revoked under the original 2020 order. 

Megan Khoo, Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, commented: 

“The non-renewal of Executive Order 13936 does not just fail to hold Beijing accountable, but hands the Chinese Communist Party a win it has not earned. Hong Kong’s autonomy is more compromised today than when Executive Order 13936 was first signed, and nothing in this reversal changes that reality.

The public, and the people of Hong Kong, deserve a clear accounting of what was negotiated and why. Restoring Hong Kong’s trade privileges without restoring its autonomy sends precisely the wrong signal: that the United States’ commitment to human rights is negotiable when convenient.

We urge the Administration to reconsider this decision and to maintain pressure on Hong Kong officials responsible for dismantling the city’s judicial independence and civil liberties. The people of Hong Kong deserve better than to be a bargaining chip in a broader trade deal.”

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