Biden extends a program to protect Hong Kongers

American President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered the extension for two years of a system allowing Hong Kongers, many of them fleeing Beijing’s repression, to stay in the United States after the expiration of their visa.

This decision by the outgoing president could fuel tensions between Beijing and Washington as President-elect Donald Trump has promised to oppose a China described as “dangerous” and to dissuade it from any desire to invade Taiwan.

The Democratic president had already extended the system for two years in 2022. “Providing refuge to Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their freedoms guaranteed in Hong Kong serves the interests of the United States in the region,” he wrote in a memorandum.

Countering the “assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy”

“The United States supports the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. The People’s Republic of China continues to seriously erode these rights and freedoms.

The Democratic president who gave way on Monday to the Republican billionaire denounced the Chinese government’s “assault on the autonomy of Hong Kong” and the blows to democratic institutions in this Special Administrative Region of China.

Since the entry into force in Hong Kong of a national security law which has largely stifled opposition voices in the former British colony, at least 200 activists have been arrested for subversion, among other things. Last year, 45 democracy defenders were sentenced to up to ten years in prison, Joe Biden said.

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