The United States on Friday partially restored Hong Kong¡¯s special legal status that was revoked by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020, a move lauded by China as ¡°a more positive direction¡± for U.S.-China relations.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it allowed the expiration of an executive ?order issued during Trump¡¯s first term in response to Beijing¡¯s imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong.

The ?July 14, ?2020 order, which had been extended annually for the past five years, declared a ?national emergency over China¡¯s security crackdown on Hong Kong, imposing sanctions on individuals associated with it and suspending special economic and trade privileges.