Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who deals with sanctions in the U.S., will not be welcomed to San Francisco throughout November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation top.
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The United States will not welcome Hong Kong’s president, who deals with U.S. sanctions, to go to San Francisco throughout November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation top, 2 congressional assistants stated on Friday.
The U.S. is set to host this year’s event of leaders of APEC, of which Hong Kong is a member. Hong Kong’s leading authorities John Lee was put under U.S. sanctions in 2020 due to the fact that of his function in executing what Washington considers a “draconian” Hong Kong nationwide security law when he was the city’s security secretary.
Reuters reported in June that a group of legislators, consisting of Republican Senator Marco Rubio, sent out a letter to the U.S. State Department prompting it to bar Lee from the U.S.
The Washington Post on Thursday reported the U.S. choice on Lee, pointing out U.S. authorities, and on Friday 2 congressional assistants verified to Reuters that the State Department had actually informed members of Congress that Lee would not be welcomed.
Rubio stated on messaging platform X, previously referred to as Twitter, that it was the “right call,” even if the choice took longer than it ought to have.
“Hosting a sanctioned human rights violator who represses Hong Kongers is a nonstarter,” Rubio stated.
In its 2020 classification of Lee, the U.S. Treasury Department stated he had actually been associated with the “coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning” of individuals in the Chinese city who had actually objected versus the nationwide security law.
A State Department representative, inquired about the choice, stated the involvement of all delegations in APEC occasions will be “in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations and on the basis of the spirit and principles of APEC.”
“We will work with Hong Kong, China to ensure appropriate participation in San Francisco,” the representative stated, including without offering information that U.S. President Joe Biden had actually started sending out invites for the occasion.
China’s Embassy in Washington revealed Beijing’s “strong opposition” to the U.S. choice.
“This violates APEC rules, and breaks the commitments made by the U.S.,” Embassy representative Liu Pengyu stated.
The APEC leaders top is viewed as a possible location where Biden might hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the 2 nations look for to support struggling relations.
