US actions against Hong Kong ‘will be as targeted as possible’, American consul says
- Hanscom Smith, the consul general for Hong Kong and Macau, says his country will do its best to ensure the city’s residents are not adversely affected
- His remarks come as US President Donald Trump is set to address media on China issues
The United States’ consul general for Hong Kong and Macau has promised that actions Washington takes aimed at the city will be as targeted as possible, but its residents will not be adversely affected.
Hanscom Smith’s remarks came as expectations ran high US President Donald Trump will touch on Hong Kong in a press conference on China issues slated for Friday US time.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington worsened after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared to Congress that Hong Kong was no longer suitably autonomous from mainland Chinese rule, a first step towards potentially downgrading its preferential trading status.
Pompeo’s statement came a week after Beijing revealed its legislative body would impose a national security law on Hong Kong to prohibit acts of secession, subversion, terrorism or conspiring with foreign influences in the city.
Trump was expected to decide on the exact steps the US government would take, and analysts said his options ranged from sanctions on individuals to customs measures, currency exchange and visa restrictions.