July
2024
On July 10, 2024, President Joe Biden issued notice of the continuation of the national emergency regarding Hong Kong. The announcement, which renews President Donald Trump’s 2020 declaration of a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, is designed to deal with the unusual and “extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the situation with respect to Hong Kong.” This declaration marks its fourth time the United States has renewed the Hong Kong emergency declaration. The original emergency order, issued in 2020 after the imposition of the National Security Law, removed the city’s preferential economic treatment as well as other privileges.
President Biden’s decision has been met with harsh criticism in both China and Hong Kong. In response, Beijing’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong has released a statement urging the United States to end its “persecution fantasies”, and warned the country to stop interfering with the city’s affairs.
Summary
The renewal of Hong Kong's emergency status by President Biden underscores the ongoing tension between the United States and China over Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic freedoms. This decision, marking the fourth consecutive year of emergency status, reflects not only Washington's persistent concern about the erosion of civil liberties in Hong Kong, but also the deepening divide between the two countries and could further complicate the already strained US-China relationship.
As the United States heads towards its November presidential election, focus should be paid on the ways in which a change in administration could influence the decision to maintain Hong Kong's emergency status and broader U.S. policy towards Hong Kong and China. While both candidates have indicated they will take a strong stance against China, it remains to be seen what steps Donald Trump, the issuer of the original emergency order, or Kamala Harris, a Senate cosponsor of the 2019 Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, will take regarding the continuing national emergency.
Analysis
