Beijing’s decision to pass a national security law that would bypass Hong Kong’s legislature to impose potentially draconian restrictions on Hong Kong citizens’ civil liberties presents the United States and the international community with hard choices. China’s assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy sets the stage for a crackdown that could destroy Beijing’s promise of “one country, two systems” and send a ripple of uncertainty across Asia. Yet retracting Hong Kong’s special status or imposing sanctions risks harming the people of Hong Kong without necessarily increasing the likelihood that Beijing changes course or pays a high political cost. Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the proposed Chinese legislation and notified Congress that “Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997.” This determination that the United States should no longer continue to extend special status to Hong Kong does not dictate what Hong Kong’s actual status will be in practical terms, leaving unanswered how the administration will proceed on specific policies.
