U.S. Officially Declares That Hong Kong Is No Longer Autonomous
The State Department has officially determined that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Wednesday that holds implications for the future of economic ties and could lead to sanctions against China.
The State Department is required by the Hong Kong Policy Act to assess the autonomy of the territory from China. It certified to Congress on Thursday that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous.
“This decision gives me no pleasure. But sound policy-making requires a recognition of reality,” Mr. Pompeo said in the statement. “It is now clear that China is modeling Hong Kong after itself.”
U.S. endorsement of Hong Kong’s special status has served as a seal of approval of the city’s role as a global financial center with Western-style rule of law. The new assessment is likely to diminish confidence among U.S. and other foreign businesses in Hong Kong.
Among the practical outcomes of the special status, the U.S. has permitted exports of advanced technology equipment to Hong Kong that isn’t allowed to be sold elsewhere in China. It also has provided U.S. support for Hong Kong’s separate representation on global bodies from the World Health Organization to the Asian Development Bank.
The 1992 Hong Kong Policy Act has allowed the U.S. to treat Hong Kong as a separate entity from mainland China and required the State Department to assess on at least an annual basis the autonomy of Hong Kong from the People’s Republic of China.
Each year since then, with support from Congress, the U.S. president has certified that Hong Kong retains its semiautonomy and as such is entitled to treatment in trade, investment and other commercial affairs akin to an independent country.
Mr. Pompeo cited Beijing’s intention to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national-security legislation on Hong Kong as a motivating factor for the decision. He said the U.S. government continues to stand with the people of Hong Kong in their struggle for autonomy.
Last week, China announced its plan to impose new national-security laws that override Hong Kong’s system of self-governance, which could further undermine the Western-style rule of law and freedoms that have underpinned the territory’s role as a global financial center.
That move was a sign of the growing frustration within China’s leadership over the long-running and at times violent unrest that began last summer and has often targeted the Communist Party and other symbols of Chinese rule.
Analysts have said that the Trump administration will need to balance any decertification decision that makes it painful for Beijing to execute on its plans with the need to maintain American support for Hong Kong’s democratic-leaning population. Hong Kong residents enjoy benefits of their city’s special status, including easier entry to the U.S. than other Chinese citizens.
Photo: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - NICHOLAS KAMM/ASSOCIATED PRESS
