Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday that Washington will move to suspend three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong, most notably impacting extradition and tax exemptions.
"The Chinese Communist Party chose to crush the freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong," Secretary Pompeo tweeted. "Because of the CCP’s actions, we are terminating or suspending three of our bilateral agreements with the territory."
Agreements terminated by the move address the surrender of fugitive offenders, transfer of sentenced persons, and reciprocal tax exemptions for international shipping earnings.
"These steps underscore our deep concern regarding Beijing’s decision to impose the National Security Law, which has crushed the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong," reads a press statement from the State Department.
The decision follows President Donald Trump's announcement last month that the United States will no longer recognize Hong Kong as a separate entity from the Chinese mainland, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s hostile takeover of the region. Now overseeing the administration of Hong Kong, China has cracked down on protests and democratic activism.
Washington lawmakers have been vocal critics of China, leading the regime to sanction Republican senators as well as American pro-freedom advocates for their criticism of China's conduct in Hong Kong.
"The Chinese Communist Party imposed these impotent sanctions against me because I defend the real victims of Chinese Communism," Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said in a statement earlier this month. "If China thinks my opposition to its communist tyranny to date warrants these sanctions, I have two words for them: just wait."