U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP INTENSIFIED HIS CONFRONTATION WITH CHINA ON FRIDAY, VOWING TO PUNISH THE COUNTRY FOR THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND STEPS TO CURB HONG KONG’S AUTONOMY.
Trump fires another salvo at China
President Donald Trump intensified his confrontation with China, vowing to punish the country for the coronavirus pandemic and steps to curb Hong Kong’s autonomy by ending the territory’s special trade status with the U.S. and denying visas to Chinese officials.
Citing a litany of grievances against the country, some dating to before he was elected president, Trump said the U.S. would begin a process to revoke Hong Kong’s preferential trade status under U.S. law. American financial regulators would examine Chinese firms listed on U.S. stock markets with an eye toward limiting American investment in the companies, he said, and Chinese nationals considered to be security threats would be denied entry to the country.
The U.S. will terminate its support for the World Health Organization, Trump said, claiming the agency had been manipulated by Beijing during the pandemic and was under the “total control” of China.
“Our actions will be strong, our actions will be meaningful,” the president said in a statement.
Trump’s announcement came after China’s legislature moved this week to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong that critics say will restrict freedoms in the city. The U.S. president has also sought to blame China for the coronavirus pandemic that’s killed more than 100,000 Americans as domestic criticism of his handling of the outbreak has mounted.
“China’s pattern of misconduct is well known,” Trump said, complaining about the history of the U.S. trading relationship with the country.
He said Beijing “unlawfully claimed territory in the Pacific Ocean” and “broke its word with the world on ensuring the autonomy of Hong Kong.”
“The Chinese government has continuously violated its promises to us,” he said. “These plain facts cannot be overlooked or swept aside. The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” he added, a reference to the pandemic.
China’s legislature has approved a plan to draft legislation that Hong Kong democracy advocates say will curtail freedom of speech and undermine the city’s independent judiciary.
Chinese officials earlier Friday called potential U.S. actions over Hong Kong “purely nonsense,” saying the matter was an internal affair and that essential freedoms in the city would remain intact.