US to allow visitors from Hong Kong to stay for 18 months

Thousands of Hong Kong residents are to be offered a temporary “safe haven” in the US, President Joe Biden says.

Mr Biden said that because Hong Kong’s freedoms were being violated by China, the US would allow visitors to stay for a period of 18 months.

Thousands of Hong Kong residents already in the US may benefit.

China has reacted angrily to the announcement, describing the decision as a gross interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs.