US to restrict visas of CHinese officials responsible for ‘eviscerating Hong Kong's freedoms’

On Friday, the United States took a stand on the Chinese officials infringing Hong Kong’s freedom when they announced that they will be restricting visas of these Chinese officials.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would restrict visas for unspecified current and former officials of the Chinese Communist Party "who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong's freedoms."

These officials who are being targeted by the US are allegedly responsible for undermining the high degree of autonomous status given to Hong Kong which Beijing promised before regaining control of the territory in 1997, Pompeo said.

"The United States calls on China to honor its commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration," Pompeo said in a statement, calling for protections of "freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly."

Last year saw massive pro-democracy wars in Hong Kong demanding for ‘their freedom’ and China to be ousted from the autonomous territory of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the biggest financial hubs in the world and scraping their autonomous identity and ensuring security laws will ensure Hong Kong’s freedom to hit the ground.

Hong Kong enjoys its share of unique freedom and China’s imposition of nation security law will end their sense of freedom. So what will the national security law do to Hong Kong? Apart from snatching away the freedom of people, the law essentially will give Beijing an upper hand so that Beijing will have power over how the law should be interpreted and that is not it. In a case where Beijing’s law and Hong Kong’s pre-existing law clash, Beijing will be given priority.

This move comes as an identity crisis for the free-living Hong Kong nationals. The law, if passed, will be applicable from July.