Joe Biden has extended a program that allows Hong Kong citizens facing possible political repression from China to stay in the United States following pressure from progressive lawmakers and human rights groups.
Biden said Hong Kong citizens residing in the United States could stay in the country for two more years as he extends the delayed forced departure program. The US president made the decision – before the program expired on February 5 – because China had “continued to erode” the human rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents.
“The People’s Republic of China continued its assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, imposing limits on academic freedom and cracking down on the press,” Biden said in a memorandum.
The United States allowed Hong Kong citizens to take advantage of the program after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 that accelerated the erosion of freedom in the territory. Biden said 120 opposition politicians and activists have been detained since the law took effect and more than 1,200 political prisoners are “now behind bars.”
Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, a US-based advocacy group, welcomed the decision but called for more action to ensure the long-term safety of Hong Kong citizens residing in the United States. United.
“The two-year lifeline is essential, but it remains true that we can only plan our lives so far in advance. Without longer-term solutions that offer humanitarian pathways, a US-based movement to the cause of freedom and democracy in Hong Kong against Beijing’s transnational repression is unsustainable,” said Kwok, whose group is working with members of the US Congress to try to pass a longer-term legislative solution.
Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch said the extension was a “welcome relief”, but said Hong Kong residents who are being persecuted “shouldn’t have to endure the roller coaster of an extension every two years, which leaves them in uncertainty, their lives in limbo”. ”.
The decision comes two weeks before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to visit China, becoming the first cabinet secretary in the Biden administration to visit the country. The visit follows the meeting Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had at the G20 in November.
It also comes as the House of Representatives prepares to take a tougher stance on China. The Republican majority has created a new committee chaired by Michael Gallagher of Wisconsin that will focus exclusively on China and issues such as Hong Kong.
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