US extends deportation protection for Hong Kongers fleeing China

Washington: President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered a two-year extension of a program allowing Hong Kong residents in the United States — many of whom fled repressive Chinese rule — to stay beyond the expiry of their visas. The extension, just days before the program was due to run out, was likely to add to tensions between Beijing and Washington, already high over Taiwan, trade disputes, and Chinese backing for Russia. Biden said the United States is "offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong." This "furthers United States interests…