Washington authorities on Monday renewed sanctions against senior Chinese officials, with 14 “vice-powers” being sanctioned for their role in speeding up the passage of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law and in depriving Hong Kong’s legislature of its four democratic members.
The U.S. Departments of State and Treasury announced the sanctions on Monday against 14 people, all of whom are vice chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China. At the top of the blacklist is CPC Politburo member Wang Chen, and the remaining six are members of the CPC Central Committee, namely Cao Jianming, Zhang Chunxian, Shen Yueyue, Ji Binxuan, Allegra, Yiming Bahai, and Wang Dongming; the other six are all leaders of democratic parties, namely Wan E Xiang, Chen Zhu, Ding Zhongli, Hao Mingjin, Cai Dafeng, and Wu Weihua.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement explaining the sanctions because the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress “unanimously adopted the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law that Beijing uses to suppress any criticism of, and arrests for, daring to oppose Beijing’s repressive policies,” and “as a result, the U.S. State Department has determined that 14 individuals are directly responsible for the passage of this shameful law.
Beijing’s process of replacing Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law with the Hong Kong version was extremely quick and secretive. The NPC closed on June 20, but the NPC Standing Committee suddenly decided that the 20th meeting of the 13th NPC Standing Committee would be held in Beijing on June 28-30. The “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” was passed before July 1 and became a tool to suppress democratic forces and dissidents in Hong Kong. All fourteen people sanctioned by the U.S. attended the meeting.
Pompeo also warned that “the measures we are taking underscore that the United States will continue to work with our allies to make Beijing pay the price for reneging on its commitment to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy.”
Fourteen senior Chinese officials sanctioned by the United States were also linked to the disqualification of four members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council from the pro-democracy camp. The Hong Kong government announced in November that four Hong Kong pan-democrats – Yang Yueqiao, Kwok Wing-kong, Kwok Ka-ki and Leung Jichang – were disqualified from the legislature, saying this was in accordance with a decision by the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), which it claimed would apply to all future candidates for election or membership in the legislature.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday that the U.S. will once again sanction senior Chinese officials over the Hong Kong issue, “China urges the U.S. side to immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop going further and further down the wrong path. If the U.S. side persists, China will continue to take resolute countermeasures to defend its sovereign security interests.”
The Trump administration’s moves before the end of its term have the greatest effect of narrowing the room for adjustment of Biden’s China policy since he took office, Hong Kong commentator Ruishao Liu told Apple Daily. The New York Times, in its analysis of the Trump administration’s frequent moves against Beijing over the past week, also noted that, despite hopes that Biden could reset relations, Biden’s approach to China has become more assertive, and he appears committed to retaining many of the Trump administration’s tougher measures, including tariffs and restrictions on Chinese technology. As a result, “Chinese officials worry that Biden will more effectively lead a global boycott of China.”
Many observers expect that Biden, a Democrat, will not go soft on Beijing on human rights issues once he takes office.
Other Senior Chinese and Hong Kong Officials under U.S. Sanctions
On August 7, the United States sanctioned a list of 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy under the National Security Law, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Cheng Yeow-hua, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Li Ka-chiu, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Tang Ping-keung, and others. Also sanctioned by the U.S. were Beijing’s top officials in Hong Kong, including Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), deputy director of the HKMAO; Zhang Xiaoming, former director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong; Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Hong Kong; and Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s National Security Agency in Hong Kong.
On November 9, Washington blacklisted four other Hong Kong officials, including the Hong Kong Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner for National Security Liu Chihui and Senior Superintendent Li Guihua of the Police Department’s National Security Division; also sanctioned by Washington were Li Jiangzhou, Director of Security Liaison of the Liaison Office of the Ministry of Public Security in Hong Kong, Deputy Director of the Central People’s Government Security Agency in Hong Kong, and Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Deng Zhonghua.
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