President Trump announced the United States will sanction Chinese officials responsible for eroding Hong Kong’s democracy and said the former British colony will no longer benefit from special status.
In a Rose Garden address, flanked by senior officials, Trump said Beijing’s move to impose new security measures on the territory meant an end to its “one country, two systems” guarantee.
“This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China, and, indeed, the people of the world,” he said. “China claims it is protecting national security, but the truth is Hong Kong was secure and prosperous as a free society.”
He announced that he was directing his administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions for Hong Kong.
“China has replaced its promised formula of ‘one country, two systems’ with ‘one country, one system,’” he said.
That will affect the full range of agreements with the territory, he said, from extradition to customs arrangements.
There will be a new State Department travel advisory for Hong Kong to reflect an increased danger of surveillance and punishment by Chinese authorities.
“Our actions will be strong. Our actions will be meaningful,” he said.
He also announced he would be suspending the entry of foreign nationals from China identified as potential security risks, without giving further details.
However, the measures still fall short of the toughest steps floated by advisers, sending markets rebounding.
Trump delivered his statement during what had been billed as a press conference. However, he appeared more than 40 minutes late after clarifying on Twitter a controversial tweet he issued overnight, apparently warning protesters in Minneapolis that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
The issue overshadowed other news, and the journalists assembled in the Rose Garden were preparing to quiz the president on what he had meant.
When he finished delivering his remarks on China, criticizing its handling of the coronavirus and announcing that the U.S. would end its relationship with the World Health Organization, he left without taking questions.