On Friday, May 29th, President Trump announced that the US would begin the process of revoking Hong Kong’s special trade status—which would take away its treatment as a separate customs territory. The move is a result of the national security powers China is imposing on Hong Kong, which is seen as a loss of autonomy from Chinese rule. An executive order would be required to end the special relationship altogether, but the President promised to begin taking away privileges.
The President said, “My announcement today will affect the full range of agreements we have with Hong Kong” and continued by saying that it’d include “action to revoke Hong Kong’s preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory from the rest of China.” As a result, the US will modify its controls on exports of dual-use technologies to Hong Kong, but it is unclear if the special tariffs imposed on Chinese imports would apply to Hong Kong.
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