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WORLD NEWS Friday 11 december 2020
China restricts U.S. official travel to Hong Kong

BEIJING (AP) — China is im- partment last week cut the
posing restrictions on travel duration of such visas from
to Hong Kong by some U.S. 10 years to one month, an-
officials and others in retali- other example of the in-
ation for similar measures creasingly hard-line stance
imposed on Chinese indi- adopted by the administra-
viduals by Washington, the tion in its waning days. That
Foreign Ministry said Thurs- came in addition to the
day. sanctions targeting specific
U.S. diplomatic passport Chinese and Hong Kong
holders visiting Hong Kong officials over their actions in
and nearby Macao will Hong Kong, the northwest-
temporarily no longer re- ern region of Xinjiang and
ceive visa-free entry privi- elsewhere.
leges, spokesperson Hua While President-elect Joe
Chunying said. Biden has signaled he in-
U.S. administration officials, tends to keep pressure on
congressional staffers, em- China, he's also expected
ployees of non-govern- to seek a return to more
mental organizations and conventional, less confron-
their immediate family tational style of diplomacy.
members will face "recipro- In this July 4, 2020, file photo, a protester carries an American flag during a protest outside the U.S. Rolling back Trump-era
cal sanctions," Hua said. Consulate in Hong Kong. measures could be diffi-
She was apparently refer- Associated Press cult however, while giving
ring to U.S. sanctions that Republicans the chance
bar certain Chinese and side is using the Hong Kong ing in China's internal af- China through actions tar- to renew accusations that
Hong Kong officials from issue to seriously interfere in fairs, and not go further geting the country and its Biden is softening Washing-
traveling to the U.S. or hav- China's internal affairs and down the wrong and dan- officials. ton's stance toward Beijing.
ing dealings with the U.S. undermine China's core in- gerous path," Hua said. Steps such as restricting vi- "By relentlessly challenging
financial system over their terests." China had long threatened sas for the 92 million mem- the bottom line of China-
roles in imposing a sweep- Those sanctioned "have to retaliate against the U.S. bers of the ruling Commu- U.S. relations on issues con-
ing National Security Law performed egregiously and sanctions and other ac- nist Party and their families cerning China's core inter-
passed this summer that are primarily responsible on tions seen as hostile. have "again exposed the ests, anti-China politicians
ushered in a crackdown the Hong Kong issue," she Earlier, China's official Xi- sinister intentions of extreme are not only digging a hole
on free speech and op- said at a daily briefing. nhua News Agency said anti-China forces in Wash- for the next administration's
position political activity in "China once again urges Trump administration of- ington to hijack China-U.S. relationship with China, but
Hong Kong. the U.S. side to immediate- ficials are "digging a hole" relations for their own politi- also eying their own per-
Hua said the move was ly stop meddling in Hong for the next U.S. adminis- cal gain," Xinhua said in an sonal political gains," Xin-
taken "given that the U.S. Kong affairs, stop interfer- tration's relationship with editorial. The U.S. State De- hua said. q

AP Interview: Digital minister says Taiwan to guard privacy

By HUIZHONG WU tives and social innovation, thefts from corporate and
Associated Press told The Associated Press in government databases.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tai- an interview. The Trump administration is
wan plans to create an President Tsai Ing-wen pressing the Chinese owner
independent agency to said creating such a body of video service TikTok to
enforce digital privacy, a would be a priority follow- sell its U.S. unit and is trying
Cabinet minister says, tack- ing her re-election in Janu- to bar messaging service
ling an increasingly urgent ary. The opposition Nation- WeChat from the country
issue as countries step up alist Party made a similar on the grounds that they
surveillance during the proposal to the legislature might gather too much
pandemic. this month. personal data about Amer-
Taiwan is one of Asia's most The agency "will truly be icans.
robust democracies and independent," reporting di- In Taiwan, authorities use a
has been praised for its rectly to the head of Tsai's system dubbed an "elec-
outbreak response, which Cabinet, Tang said Thurs- tric fence" based on cell
has kept its death toll at day. phone location data to
seven. But privacy advo- Other governments includ- track people who are sup- Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang speaks during an interview
with The Associated Press in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Dec. 10,
cates object to measures ing China and South Korea posed to be quarantined. It 2020.
used to track the public track the public with smart- alerts police if the person's Associated Press
and say there are too few phone apps, credit cards phone leaves a designat-
safeguards for personal in- and other technology. In ed area. internet usage was 53.6% in measures" under legislation
formation. Europe, governments have Taiwan is one of the world's 2019, according to the U.N. enacted in April.
The proposed council, if faced strong public resis- most digitally connected International Telecommuni- Privacy activists expressed
approved by lawmakers, tance to tracking apps due societies with an internet cation Union. concern about merging of
would have power to en- to privacy concerns. penetration rate of around Taiwan's Central Epidemic databases to give the epi-
force privacy rules, Audrey The United States is wres- 82%, according to govern- Command Center was demic agency information
Tang, who is in charge of tling with how to enforce ment survey in 2017. The given expanded powers to including about immigra-
open government initia- data privacy following global penetration rate for take "necessary response tion. q