Trade ties with Hong Kong will also be curtailed.
On Friday, President Trump said the U.S. will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The U.S. will also begin the process of withdrawing special trade benefits for Hong Kong because of the Chinese government’s imposition of a new security law in the formerly autonomous city.
The two measures, combined with the cancellation of visas for some Chinese citizens, come as the tensions between the two nations widens.
The WHO has been the source of frustrations for the president lately. “We have detailed the reforms it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,” the president said from the White House. “Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship.”
The U.S. is the largest source of financial support for the WHO.
Tensions over Hong Kong have been increasing for more than a year. President Trump said the administration would begin eliminating the “full range” of agreements that had given Hong Kong a relationship with the United States that mainland China did not have, including on trade and extradition. He said the State Department would begin warning U.S. citizens of the threat of surveillance and arrest when visiting the city.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the foreign relations advisers as the divide grows between the United States and China.
- For American citizens in Hong Kong to be safe and free from Chinese surveillance or arrest.
Sources: Reuters, AP, Newsmax
