torsdag 7. mai 2020

US to delay Hong Kong report to see if China 'further undermines' autonomy

The US will delay its report on Hong Kong’s autonomy until after the Chinese government’s major annual meeting later this month, in anticipation of what actions Beijing “may be contemplating” to further undermine the independence of the semi-autonomous territory. It comes after Beijing’s highest office in Hong Kong referred to the city’s protesters as a “virus”, which must be eradicated.

On Wednesday the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, told reporters the department was delaying its first report to Congress assessing Hong Kong’s autonomy to “allow us to account for any additional actions that Beijing may be contemplating in the run-up to the National People’s Congress that would further undermine the people of Hong Kong’s autonomy as promised by China when they entered the agreement with the people of Hong Kong”. The Chinese Communist party (CCP) had delayed its meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic, but will now go ahead on 22 May.