US President Donald Trump signs bill to impose sanctions on Chinese officials

US President Donald Trump has signed a bill to impose sanctions on Chinese officials implementing oppressive law against Hong Kong.

The US President told a press conference that this law gives his administration powerful new tools to hold responsible the individuals and the entities involved in extinguishing Hong Kong's freedom.

 

Mr Trump has also signed an order to end preferential treatment for Hong Kong, as his administration adopts an increasingly tough stance on China. He said, Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China. Mr



Trump said, it will end the preferential trade treatment Hong Kong has received for years. Mr Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have blamed China for the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and criticized Beijing for its Hong Kong crackdown.

 

China had recently imposed a new security law to bring an end to Hong Kong's special status, agreed under a 1984 pact between China and the UK. The former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a law protecting freedoms of speech, assembly and the press until 2047.