Electoral law
Blinken said the new sanctions underscore “our deep concern at the decision of the National People’s Congress on March 11 to unilaterally undermine Hong Kong’s electoral system.”
“This action further undermines the high degree of autonomy promised to the people in Hong Kong and denies the inhabitants of Hong Kong a voice in their own governance, a move that the United Kingdom has declared is a violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” he said. Blinken.
“A stable and prosperous Hong Kong that respects human rights, freedoms and political pluralism serves the interests of Hong Kong, mainland China and the international community at large. The United States is united with our allies and partners to defend rights and freedom of the people in Hong Kong, and we will respond when the PRC fails to fulfill its obligations, “he added.
In response to these comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday that exchanges between the US and Japan should help to increase mutual understanding and confidence between countries in the region and “not target or undermine the interests of third parties”.
The new sanctions could attract a much more forceful response from Beijing, which has been seeking an attempt at rapprochement with President Joe Biden’s government, albeit largely on China’s terms.
A big step towards improving relations would take place in Alaska on Thursday, when Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with China’s two top diplomats, Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi.
Beijing has not yet responded to the new sanctions, but there was immediate speculation among observers that this aggressive move by Washington before the meeting could result in its cancellation.
Last week, Zhao, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, urged the United States to “abandon the Cold War and the zero-sum mentality, respect China’s sovereignty, security and development interests” and “stop interfere in China’s internal affairs “, a language that is generally used to refer to Washington putting pressure on Beijing over Hong Kong.