US President Joe Biden deferred Thursday the removal of Hong Kong residents who presently reside in the United States, providing a “safe haven” for citizens for at least the next 18 months.
President Biden cited compelling foreign policy reasons for the action. This included the unilateral imposition of China’s National Security Law (NSL), which, according to Biden, “has undermined the enjoyment of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.” Biden wrote that the US is committed to the “defense of democracy and the promotion of human rights around the world” and that “it is in the foreign policy interest of the United States to defer . . . the removal of any Hong Kong resident.”
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security said: “This decision to offer safety and protection to these individuals was made based on the ongoing assault on democracy, and rights and freedoms in Hong Kong by the People’s Republic of China . . . The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong in support of rights and freedoms.”
China’s Commissioner of Foreign Affairs, based out of Hong Kong, responded to the memorandum and condemned the action as an interference in Hong Kong’s and China’s internal affairs. The commissioner stated that the US has “trampled on international law and basic norms governing international relations,” accusing the US of pulling a “little trick” through “fabricated lies” about the NSL to purposefully destabilize Hong Kong’s prosperity. The commissioner added that “[t]hose who attempt to disrupt Hong Kong and China at large are just overestimating their strength and their tricks will get nowhere.”
China reiterated a promise to implement a “One Country, Two Systems” approach to the management of the island. However, since the imposition of China’s NSL more than a year ago, arrests of pro-democracy advocates and protestors have become increasingly frequent.
On the Wednesday before the memorandum, Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog charged a pro-democracy activist for breaching election laws when he performed at a 2018 election rally to induce people to vote for a pro-democracy candidate. This followed the conviction of a prominent human rights activist under the NSL, and the raid of a pro-democracy tabloid that resulted in several arrests and the cessation of the publication.
The exchange is the latest between the two powers over the fate of Hong Kong. In June, China passed an anti-sanctions law solidifying rules that attempt to block western sanctions by designating certain trade restrictions “unjustifiable.” In July, the US sanctioned seven Chinese officials citing the government’s crackdown on protestors. The US government later released a business advisory emphasizing the risks associated with doing business on Hong Kong under the NSL. China then retaliated by introducing its own sanctions on American individuals.
