Beijing has announced it will impose visa restrictions on US officials that it said had “interfered” in Hong Kong affairs after Washington last months said it was “taking steps” to impose visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said during a weekly press conference on Tuesday that the US had “violently interfered in China’s internal affairs” by imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong issues.
“China has decided to impose visa restrictions on US officials who have performed terribly on Hong Kong-related issues,” Mao said in Mandarin, adding that the move was based on the country’s foreign relations’ law and a law on countering foreign sanctions.
Mao did not reveal the list of US personnel who would be subject to such restrictions, nor when the measures would come into effect.
“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.”
In November, the US said it was “taking steps” to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials after 45 of the city’s most prominent pro-democracy advocates were sentenced to prison.
On November 19, Hong Kong’s High Court jailed 45 democrats, including former legislators, ex-district councillors, and activists, over their roles in a primary election. Their jail terms ranged from four years and two months to 10 years, with prominent legal scholar Benny Tai receiving a decade behind bars.
“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.
“In response, the Department of State is taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for implementation of the [national security law].”
In response, the Hong Kong government condemned what it described as untruthful smearing and unscrupulous attacks by foreign governments and organisations, saying overseas officials had “turned a blind eye to the facts” and made “exaggerated remarks” about the landmark case.
