Hong Kong (CNN) The United States government has officially suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over concerns that the Chinese government's new national security law is eroding the city's autonomy. The US government accused Beijing of undermining "the high degree of autonomy that (the Chinese government) promised to the United Kingdom and the people of Hong Kong for 50 years under the UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on his official Twitter that the agreements had been suspended because the ruling Chinese Communist Party had chosen "to crush the freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong." The Chinese Communist Party chose to crush the freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong. — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 19, 2020Since its handover from Britain to China in 1997, Hong Kong has enjoyed a special trade and security status with the United States, predicated on the financial hub's high degree of autonomy from Beijing.

Source: CNN August 20, 2020 03:00 UTC