Pompeo: US imposes visa restrictions on Chinese officials

The US has imposed visa restrictions on Chinese officials for allegedly infringing on Hong Kong’s autonomy.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the restrictions would apply to unspecified current and former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials.

"President Trump promised to punish the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong's freedoms. Today, we are taking action to do just that," Pompeo said.

The US visa restrictions apply to "current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy," Pompeo said.

He cited China’s bid to supervise Hong Kong’s governance and unilaterally and arbitrarily imposing national security legislation in the territory.  

Pompeo also accused China of violating human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong.

He said Beijing is putting pressure on local authorities to arrest anti-government activists and disqualify anti-China electoral candidates.

The US has intensified its rhetoric and measures against China in the midst of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign.

Last month, Trump said he was initiating a process to eliminate special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial center.

In June last year, unprecedented anti-government protests began in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition bill. It was shelved under pressure from rallies later on, but the turbulent demonstrations continued the next several months and became more violent, endangering the lives and property of citizens.

The protesters have been demanding Hong Kong’s full secession since then. Beijing says the US and Britain have been fanning the flames of the unrest in the semi-autonomous hub by supporting the separatist protesters.

China denounces UK, US ‘interference’ in Hong Kong’s internal affairs

China has slammed the UK and the US’s interference in Hong Kong’s domestic affairs.

Last month, Hong Kong’s legislature debated and passed a Beijing-proposed bill, criminalizing sedition, secession and subversion against the mainland. The law drew harsh criticism from some Western governments, particularly the US, which claim that the law threatens the semi-autonomous stance of the city.

Beijing, however, insists that the new law does not pose a threat to Hong Kong’s autonomy and the interests of foreign investors, noting that it is merely meant to prevent terrorism and foreign interference there, which were evident in the violent riots there against the government last year.

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