Hong Kong called on Washington to let its leader, John Lee, attend a major economic summit in the U.S. this autumn, after a report said the country plans to bar the sanctioned official.
"The U.S. is obliged to fulfill its basic responsibilities as a host to follow the rules and usual practices” of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation bloc, the city said in a statement Friday, noting that would entail inviting the chief executive of Hong Kong. "The APEC meeting does not belong to a particular country,” it added.
The Washington Post earlier reported that Lee, who is sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in Hong Kong’s crackdown on civil liberties, would be blocked from attending the event in San Francisco in November. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend that summit.