China threatens to retaliate after US tightens leash on Beijing diplomats

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COURTESY BY: https://www.dawn.com/ China will deliver “a proper and necessary” response to new curbs by the State Department on its envoys to the United States, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. America’s top diplomat Mike Pompeo introduced the restrictions on Wednesday, including mandating Chinese diplomats to seek approval to visit universities or meet with local officials. He said the measures were a counterpoint to long-established controls imposed on US diplomats in China. American envoys have to ask permission from authorities to meet with officials, conduct outreach or even visit universities.…

US unloads punitive steps on China over Hong Kong law

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ The US has hit China with punitive measures over the Hong Kong security law and slapped visa curbs on those working with Beijing-linked firms such as Huawei. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that authorises sanctions on individuals responsible for the Hong Kong law. He also signed an executive order that took away the preferential trade status of Hong Kong, putting it on par with the mainland. “Their freedom has been taken away. Their rights have been taken away. And with it, goes…

US slaps sanctions on four Chinese individuals, including Xinjiang Communist Party head

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ The United States on Thursday imposed human rights sanctions on four Chinese individuals, including the Xinjiang region’s Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, as well as on the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, according to the US Treasury Department’s website. The Treasury did not specify why the sanctions were imposed, though the United States is seeking to ratchet up pressure on China at a time of heightened tensions over that country’s treatment of Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang and Beijing’s new national security law for Hong Kong.

Facebook, others, block govt requests on Hong Kong user data

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram will deny law enforcement requests for user data in Hong Kong as they assess the impact of a new national security law enacted last week. Facebook and its messaging app WhatsApp said in separate statements Monday that they would freeze the review of government requests for user data in Hong Kong, “pending further assessment of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with international human rights experts.” The policy changes follow the roll out last week of laws…

UK cautions on Hong Kong travel due to China’s security law

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ The United Kingdom updated its travel advice for Hong Kong on Wednesday, saying there was an increased risk of detention and deportation due to China’s imposition of a new security law. “Mainland authorities could under certain circumstances detain individuals under the terms of this law, with maximum penalty of life imprisonment,” the Foreign Office said. “There is therefore an increased risk of detention and deportation for a non-permanent resident who commits an offence under the law. Due to recent heightened political sensitivity, there could be an increase…

Chinese President Xi Jinping signs bill that could mean jail for dissent in Hong Kong

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed into law the Hong Kong national security bill in a closed-door meeting of the elites of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, formalising a legislation that critics fear could crush the city’s freedom. Official news agency Xinhua said Chinese lawmakers had voted to adopt the law and decided the “national security law would be included” in Hong Kong’s mini constitution known as the Basic Law. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists could potentially face prison terms if found guilty under…