This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
Published on December 8, 2019, a tense moment in relations between China and the United States unfolded as two American business leaders in Hong Kong were denied entry to Macau, a neighboring Chinese city.
The Hong Kong protests, which began in June over legislation that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, have expanded to include demands for police accountability and greater democracy.
On Saturday, Tara Joseph, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and Robert Grieves, its chairman, were separately denied entry to Macau, a semiautonomous gambling enclave in southern China.
Ms. Joseph, an American citizen and former journalist, said she was detained by immigration officials in Macau for nearly two hours and was made to sign a statement that she 'voluntarily agreed not to pursue entry' into Macau.
Ms. Joseph expressed hope that the denial of entry was an overreaction to current events and that international business could constructively forge ahead.
Macau officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Beijing-backed authorities in Macau have regularly prevented pro-democracy activists and journalists from Hong Kong from entering the city, but it is rare that such actions target members of the business community.
Beijing has vowed to retaliate against American interests after President Trump signed legislation that authorized sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong.
