HONG KONG—Political freedoms and the rule of law have continued to deteriorate in Hong Kong over the past year, threatening American interests and Hong Kong’s autonomy, a U.S. State Department report on the city’s status to Congress said Thursday.
The annual report on conditions in Hong Kong painted a worsening landscape for the city on a number of fronts, pointing to a continued clampdown on opposition politicians, the shutdown of newspapers and new restrictions on participation in elections. For the third year in a row, the report said that Hong Kong wasn’t sufficiently autonomous from mainland China to warrant special treatment from the U.S. in trade and other areas.
Read More: State Department Warns of Continued Erosion of Freedoms in Hong Kong