The Chinese embassy in the United States called Washington’s decision to impose visa restrictions against Chinese officials in relation to Hong Kong wrong and urged to cancel the measure.
Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States imposes visa restrictions against officials of the Communist Party of China for allegedly undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and violating human rights in that territory.
“We call on the United States to immediately correct its mistakes, reverse the decisions and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” the diplomatic mission said in a statement.
In late May, US President Donald Trump said his administration was going to apply sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials who were directly or indirectly involved in the loss of autonomy in that jurisdiction.
The president also said that the US is going to begin a process by which it is going to eliminate the exemptions that give Hong Kong special treatment in trade, technology and other items.
On May 28, the Chinese Legislative endorsed a resolution that gives the green light to its Standing Committee to develop and include in Hong Kong legislation the national security law, which criminalizes acts of subversion, terrorism, secession, conspiracy with foreign influence and others that threaten the security of the territory.
The bill drew criticism from Hong Kong’s anti-government forces and some Western officials who saw in that document Beijing’s desire to tighten control over that autonomous region.
China rejected any criticism in this regard and declared that all issues relating to Hong Kong were an internal matter.