The United States has decided not to extend the national state of emergency declared in response to the perceived threat after mainland China imposed the stringent “Hong Kong National Security Law,” suggesting that Washington may restore the special trading status for this financial hub.
AFP reported that on the 17th, the US Treasury Department confirmed that the state of emergency, first declared by President Trump in July 2020, has been terminated.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement welcoming this decision, calling it “an important step in implementing the consensus reached in bilateral economic and trade consultations.”
In 2020, Trump rescinded Hong Kong’s preferential trading status and declared a state of emergency after mainland China tightened control over Hong Kong. In his executive order, he stated that the mainland’s actions to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy constituted an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US national security.
Since then, the White House renewed this executive order every year until this year.
On the 17th, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong SAR government stated that the US decision not to extend the state of emergency related to Hong Kong is an important step in fulfilling the consensus reached in China-US economic and trade consultations. Safeguarding Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability is in the common interest of both China and the US, and also meets the general expectations of the international community. The SAR government affirms the US’s positive adjustment of its policies toward Hong Kong, hoping that the US will respect China’s sovereignty and the rule of law in the Special Administrative Region, resume and strengthen normal economic and trade exchanges with Hong Kong.