Hong Kong no longer deserves special US status, Pompeo says
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Congress on Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for its special status under US law, potentially dealing a crushing blow to its status as a major financial hub.
China had undermined Hong Kong's autonomy so fundamentally, Pompeo said, that he could not support its recertification for its special pre-1997 trading status.
China's plan for new security legislation triggered protests in the territory, and it now falls to President Donald Trump to decide to end some, all or none of the U.S. economic privileges the territory enjoys.
Meanwhile, three pro-democracy politicians were ejected from Hong Kong's legislative chamber on Thursday morning, disrupting the start of a second day of debate on a contentious bill that would criminalise insulting or abusing the Chinese national anthem.
The legislature's president, Andrew Leung, suspended the meeting minutes after it began and ejected politician Eddie Chu for holding up a sarcastic placard that read "Best Chairperson, Starry Lee".
A second pro-democratic lawmaker was ejected for yelling after the meeting resumed, and then a third was ejected after rushing forward with a large plastic bottle in a cloth bag that spilled its brownish contents on the floor in front of the president's raised dais.
