HONG KONG/SHANGHAI -- Lawmakers in China on Thursday passed legislation that will extend the country's opaque national security law to Hong Kong, an expected move that has prompted large demonstrations in the city and a warning from Washington.
The bill, which was passed by a vote of 2,878 in favor to one objection, has put the Asian hub's economic status at risk in Washington, where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that Hong Kong no longer deserves special treatment. "No reasonable person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from China, given facts on the ground," he said.
