Trump says US to take action against China over Hong Kong issue by end of this week

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the country was working on a strong response to China's planned national security legislation for Hong Kong and his government will announce it before the end of the week.

'I think you'll find it very interesting'

China’s Communist government is expected to approve a national security law in Hong Kong because the territory’s authorities have not been able to do it locally for over 20 years. The law would reduce Hong Kong's separate legal status, calling into question the special economic status the territory currently enjoys under the US law. 

Trump, at a White House news conference, was asked if he planned sanctions against China over Hong Kong and if he intended to put restrictions on visas for students and researchers from China.

“We’re doing something now. I think you’ll find it very interesting ... I’ll be talking about it over the next couple of days,” he said. He was asked if this would include sanctions, responding to which he said, “No it’s something you’re going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week, very powerfully I think.”

Trump did not elaborate, but earlier White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said he was displeased by the proposed security law and found it “hard to see how Hong Kong can remain a financial hub if China takes over.”

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Proposed action against China comes as hundreds of riot police have taken up posts around Hong Kong's legislature overnight ahead of expected protests, according to media reports. The proposed new national security laws have triggered the first big street unrest in Hong Kong since last year when violent protests brought the city's biggest crisis since the return of Chinese rule from Britain in 1997.

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The Trump administration has in recent weeks increased its public condemnation of China, particularly for its response to the spread of the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan. However, the Trump administration has also been facing severe backlash not only for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic ‘poorly’ but also for politicising the crisis with repeated attacks on China and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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As of May 26, according to Johns Hopkins University tally, the US has recorded over 1.6 million cases of COVID-19 infection with at least 98,034 deaths.

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(With agency inputs)