Washington (AFP)

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he wants to end the exemptions granted to Hong Kong as part of his now questioned special relationship with the United States.

China "has not kept its word given to the world to ensure the autonomy of Hong Kong," Trump said from the White House gardens in a firm but limited detail statement.

"It is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, for China, and for the whole world," he said.

The statement comes in an explosive climate: the Republican billionaire has raised his voice in recent weeks by accusing Beijing of being responsible for the spread of the new coronavirus across the planet, and has promised retaliation.

The United States has been denouncing for several days the controversial national security law that Beijing wants to impose on Hong Kong. They believe it is a disguised way of muzzling the Hong Kong opposition and cutting corners, which China firmly denies.

"I am asking my government to start the process of eliminating the exemptions that give Hong Kong special status," said Trump.

"This decision will have an impact on all the agreements we have with Hong Kong," he added, referring in particular to the extradition treaty and certain commercial privileges, with however a few exceptions.

The handover of Hong Kong was done in the name of the principle "One country, two systems" which allowed the territory to preserve unknown liberties in mainland China, in particular a free economy, independent justice, freedom of expression and a Parliament partially elected by universal suffrage.

These derogations have led many countries, such as the United States, to pass laws authorizing them to treat Hong Kong as a commercial entity separate from the authoritarian Chinese regime.

- Chinese students targeted -

Displaying his desire to better secure university research "vital to the country", Mr. Trump also announced the suspension of the entry of "certain Chinese nationals" identified as "potential risks" to the national security of the United States.

The American president, however, remained elusive about the exact scope of this decision and the number of students who could be affected.

According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), Chinese are the most numerous foreign students in the United States, with nearly 370,000 of them in 2018-2019, or a third of the total.

British ambassador-in-office to the UN, Jonathan Allen, said that if the law wanted by China were applied, it would exacerbate "deep divisions" in society in Hong Kong.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are leading the international sling against the project, which plans to punish separatist and "terrorist" activities, subversion, or even foreign interference in the Chinese autonomous territory .

This law comes after the monster protests in Hong Kong in 2019 against the influence of Beijing, initially peaceful but also marked by violence and vandalism. They reinforced a formerly marginal pro-independence movement.

China, which blocked an American request for a formal meeting of the Security Council on Hong Kong on Wednesday, judged at the end of the videoconference Friday that the Western step was vain.

"Any attempt to use Hong Kong to interfere in China's internal affairs is doomed to failure," said Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun.

© 2020 AFP