Beijing has condemned recent statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who expressed doubts about the significant level of Hong Kong's autonomy from China, citing alleged attacks on the free press in the region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Office in Hong Kong said on Thursday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2020) Beijing has condemned recent statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who expressed doubts about the significant level of Hong Kong's autonomy from China, citing alleged attacks on the free press in the region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Office in Hong Kong said on Thursday.
Pompeo has said that Washington was not sure whether Hong Kong still maintained its high autonomy from China. The top diplomat suggested that the United States could change its policy towards the special administrative region since the special treatment of the latter enjoyed from the US was conditional on a significant level of autonomy.
"The official spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong condemns and strongly protests against the allegations by US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and other officials that the central government [of China] and the government of the special administrative region are engaged in exerting unreasonable pressure [on the Hong Kong authorities]," the agency said in a press release.
According to the press release, the central government and the Hong Kong authorities are jointly fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, while US officials continue to repeatedly make anti-China remarks.
Beijing also accused Pompeo of interfering in China's internal affairs when referring to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which envisions imposing sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for alleged human rights abuses in the region, and requires Washington to annually assess Hong Kong's political status.
Hong Kong has been gripped by violent protests since June. Numerous demonstrators initially took to the streets to protest a proposed extradition bill, but riots continued and became violent even after the unpopular measure was withdrawn in October. Beijing has said that the situation in Hong Kong was the result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs and expressed full support for the local authorities to avert violence and restore order.
