Live from Hong Kong
President Trump spoke in the White House Rose Garden Yesterday and announced that the U.S. will sanction China for its handling of Hong Kong and permanently freeze funding to the WHO. The people of Hong Kong have a hero.
President Trump spoke from the White House Rose Garden yesterday and shared what many in Hong Kong are thinking and feeling. He shared the following:
I’m here today to talk about our relationship with China and several new measures to protect American security and prosperity. China’s pattern of misconduct is well known. For decades they’ve ripped off the United States like no one has ever done before. Hundreds of billions of dollars a year were lost dealing with China, especially over the years during the prior administration.
China raided our factories, off-shored our jobs, gutted our industries, stole our intellectual property and violated their commitments under the World Trade Organization…. They were able to get away with theft like no one was able to get away with before because of past politicians and frankly, past Presidents…. The Chinese nation has continually violated their promises to us and so many other nations.
Trump then claimed China pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the coronavirus was first discovered by Chinese authorities. He then went on to say that because the WHO refused to make greatly needed reforms, the US is terminating its relationship with the WHO and will work with other entities instead.
The President then announced that the US will suspend certain nationals from China who are deemed to have certain security risks in an effort to stop the theft of US intellectual property. He then said [at the 5:30 mark]:
Several of the most significant actions we’re taking are due to deeply troubling situations unfolding in Hong Kong. This week China unilaterally imposed control over Hong Kong’s security. This was a plain violation of Beijing’s treaty obligations with the United Kingdom in the declaration of 1984 and explicit provisions of Hong Kong’s basic law. It has 27 years to go.
The Chinese government’s move against Hong Kong is the latest in a series of measures that are diminishing the city’s long standing and very proud status. This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China and indeed the people of the world. China claims it is protecting national security but the truth is that Hong Kong is secure and prosperous as a free society. Beijing’s decision reverses all of that.
It extends the reach of China’s invasive state security apparatus into what was formally a bastion of liberty. China’s latest incursion along with other recent developments that degraded the territory’s freedoms makes clear that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have afforded the territory since the handover.
China has repleased its promise of ‘one country, two systems’ to ‘one country one system’. Therefore I am directing my Administration to begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment…. Our actions will be strong. Our actions will be meaningful.
[ I received word tonight from a Hong Kong citizen who said “We saw Trump. So hero to me in today’s news… Said all we HK ppl’s minds… claps to him.”]
President Trump ended with the observation that instead of China becoming more like Hong Kong, they are taking Hong Kong back in time to be more like China. President Trump stands for the people of Hong Kong and freedom, not the regime in China.