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Hong Kong laws need to be respected by Beijing: Pence

Monday, 19 August 2019 5:45 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 19 August 2019 5:50 PM ]

US Vice President Mike Pence at a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 1, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

US Vice President Mike Pence has urged China to respect Hong Kong's laws, echoing President Donald Trump's warning that any trade deal with China was linked to the situation in Hong Kong.

PressTV-Trump drags Tiananmen to raging trade war with China

President Trump has warned China that violence in Hong Kong would affect trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

Trump hinted on Sunday that the White House would like to see Beijing resolve the Hong Kong protests before any agreement on trade was reached.

"I would like to see Hong Kong worked out in a very humanitarian fashion," Trump said. "I think it would be very good for the trade deal."

Pence reiterated Trump’s words in his remarks.

"For the United States to make a deal with China, Beijing needs to honor its commitments, including the commitment China made in 1984 to respect the integrity of Hong Kong’s laws through the Sino-British Joint Declaration," Pence said in an address at the Detroit Economic Club on Monday.

Pence said in remarks prepared for the event that the Trump administration will continue exerting pressure on Beijing until its resolves its issues with the protesters through peaceful channels.

China, for its part, has urged foreigner countries, Britain and the US in particular, not to meddle in Chinese affairs.

#China warns US to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs

Read more: https://t.co/5K4QGr8g2u #UnitedStates #HongKong pic.twitter.com/0wTbR7xuqj
— Press TV (@PressTV) August 9, 2019

Protests began in Hong Kong in June over a now-shelved bill that would have allowed suspected criminal to be extradited to mainland China for trial.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997.

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