Mike Pence urges China to honour 1984 agreement, protect Hong Kong's rights

Mike Pence warns China that violent crackdown in Hong Kong would affect trade

Mike-Pence-economic-club-AP US Vice President Mike Pence speaking at the Economic Club in Detroit | AP

US Vice President Mike Pence urged China to respect the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, adding to President Donald Trump's warning that violence in Hong Kong would make it harder for the US and China to reach a trade deal.

"For the United States to make a deal with China, Beijing needs to honour its commitments, including the commitment China made in 1984 to respect the integrity of Hong Kongs laws through the Sino-British Joint Declaration," Pence said, adding that, "Our administration will continue to urge Beijing and the demonstrators to resolve their differences peaceably."

Pence was speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, where he spoke of the need to find a trade deal with China on the condition that China "honours its commitments". Pence said, “We don’t want China’s markets to suffer. We want them to thrive... But, for the United States to make a deal with China, Beijing needs to honour its commitments.”

In this context, Pence said that violence in Hong Kong could affect trade negotiations between the US and China.

Earlier, Trump had warned that a Tianenmen-style crackdown would harm the ability of the two nations to strike a deal. Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump expressed hope that the situation would be resolved peacefully. "I'd like to see Hong Kong worked out in a very humanitarian fashion…It would be very good for the trade deal."

He added, "I think it'd be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it's another Tiananmen Square...I think it's a very hard thing to do if there's violence."

Protests in Hong Kong have been ongoing for two months now. They began as a series of demonstrations against a controversial bill that would allow Hong Kong citizens convicted of crimes to be extradited to the Chinese mainland to face presumably harsher punishment.