US Sanctions More Chinese Officials for Interference in Hong Kong
The U.S. sanctioned 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for interfering in Hong Kong’s autonomy, building on previous designations issued last year. The new sanctions, announced March 17, target 14 vice chairs of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and officials in the Hong Kong Police Force’s National Security Division, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and the Office for Safeguarding National Security.
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The State Department released a report naming the sanctioned people, their positions in the Chinese government and why they were designated. Any foreign banks or financial institutions that “knowingly conduct significant transactions” with the people will be subject to sanctions, the agency said. “The United States stands united with our allies and partners in speaking out for the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, and we will respond when the [People’s Republic of China] fails to meet its obligations,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the sanctions are a “severe violation of international law and norms governing international relations, and grave interference in China's internal affairs.” The spokesperson also called the designations a “vicious attempt of the U.S. to interfere in China's domestic affairs” and said it “firmly opposes” the measures. “China will continue to take strong measures in light of further developments to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and people,” the spokesperson said March 17.
The spokesperson also said the sanctions “poison the atmosphere” and are designed to “pressure” China leading up to the March 18 meeting with Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese foreign affairs officials Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi (see 2103100046). “We hope that, through this dialogue, the two sides can follow through on the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden in their phone call, focus on cooperation, manage differences and bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track,” the spokesperson said, according to an unofficial translation of a news conference transcript.