US Reinstates Trade Benefits for Hong Kong, Welcomed by China

WHO:

AP News - U.S. President Trump, China, Hong Kong leader John Lee, former Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, Xi Jinping, Jimmy Lai

ABC News Business - China

WHAT:

AP News - The United States confirmed it will not renew an executive order that revoked Hong Kong’s special trading status.

AP News - The U.S. order was signed by Trump in July 2020 and was last renewed for a year in July 2025.

AP News - Sanctions under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020 will continue despite the nonrenewal of the executive order.

AP News - The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control delisted individuals sanctioned under the expired executive order but added them to a different sanction list.

AP News - The Hong Kong government noted a "positive shift in the U.S. policy" toward the city.

WHERE:

AP News - Hong Kong, Beijing, U.S.

WHEN:

AP News - The U.S. decision came two months after Trump met with Xi Jinping in Beijing.

AP News - Xi is expected to visit the U.S. later this year.

WHY:

AP News - The decision not to renew the order is consistent with efforts to ensure sanctions are not duplicative.

AP News - China considers the national security law for Hong Kong necessary to restore stability after protests in 2019.

HOW:

AP News - The U.S. confirmed to China that the President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization would end, as part of commitments made during U.S.-China trade talks in Madrid last year.

(UPDATED July 17, 2026 22:24 UTC)

The United States has confirmed it will not renew an executive order that revoked Hong Kong’s special trading status, a decision that follows President Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing two months prior. Although the executive order, originally signed by Trump in July 2020, will expire, sanctions under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020 will continue, and individuals previously sanctioned under the expired order have been moved to a different sanctions list. The Hong Kong government has noted this as a "positive shift in the U.S. policy" toward the city, while Xi is expected to visit the U.S. later this year.