Washington/UNI: US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell has said that the United States expects China to make some changes in its policy especially with regard to Hong Kong, within the "next week or two" following the talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Yang Jiechi on Thursday.
Hong Kong, which is China's special administrative region enjoys preferential treatment from the US. In late May, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington intended to reconsider its ties with Hong Kong, including the preferential treatment.
Large-scale protests have been taking place sporadically in Hong Kong since June 2019, as protesters claiming to oppose what they call Beijing’s increasing influence on the special administrative region infringing their autonomy.
The latest wave of protests were sparked by the Chinese central government's plans to pass a security bill for Hong Kong.
The legislation which seeks to stamp out 'secessionist activities', among other things, is seen by citizens of Hong Kong as undermining their liberties. Though both Hong Kong's leadership and the central government maintain that the legislation would not affect the legal rights of the citizens.
Beijing that always maintained that the unrest in Hong Kong is a result of international interference and promises to respect the "one country, two systems" principle.
