'They Broke Their Word': Trump Says Hong Kong No Longer Autonomous From China

During a Friday news conference at the White House, US President Donald Trump declared that "Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have afforded the territory" and is therefore subject to a number of restrictions.

"We will be revising the State Department’s travel advisory for Hong Kong to reflect the increased danger of surveillance and punishment by the Chinese state security apparatus," Trump noted. He added that "necessary steps" will be taken to sanction mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials "directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong's autonomy." 

The US president asserted China was "smothering" Hong Kong's freedom and "broke their word to the world on ensuring the autonomy of Hong Kong." 

Trump's comments concerning Hong Kong's autonomy come just a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a similar assertion to Congress.