Beijing has announced that it will impose visa restrictions on US officials who have “interfered” in Hong Kong affairs. This move comes after Washington said it would impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials last month.
According to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, the US has “violently interfered in China’s internal affairs” by imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong issues.
Mao stated that China has decided to impose visa restrictions on US officials who have performed poorly on Hong Kong-related issues. The move is based on China’s foreign relations law and a law on countering foreign sanctions.
Mao emphasised that Hong Kong is a part of China and that Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal matters.
“I shall emphasise that Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal matters,” Mao said. “We urge the US side to genuinely respect China’s sovereignty, respect the rule of law in Hong Kong, and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way.”
The US had previously announced that it would impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials after 45 pro-democracy advocates were sentenced to prison in November. The sentences ranged from four years and two months to 10 years.
“The 45 defendants sentenced today were aggressively prosecuted, and many now face life-altering imprisonment simply for their peaceful participation in political activities which are protected under the Basic Law of Hong Kong,” US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said after the sentencing hearing.
The Hong Kong government condemned the US move, saying that foreign governments and organisations had “turned a blind eye to the facts” and made “exaggerated remarks” about the landmark case.
