WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday he believed China had threatened to interfere with the work of U.S. journalists in Hong Kong, and warned Beijing that any decision impinging on Hong Kong’s autonomy could affect the U.S. assessment of Hong Kong’s status.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department, in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
“These journalists are members of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting informs Chinese citizens and the world,” Pompeo said in a statement.
Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the territory was promised a “high degree of autonomy” for 50 years. The system formed the basis of the territory’s special status under U.S. law, which has helped it thrive as