The United States has announced sanctions against 14 vice chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China for their involvement in persecution of Hong Kong people through the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law”. The Chinese Communist Party retaliated by imposing reciprocal sanctions on the U.S. officials in a regular press conference today (10).
According to Hua, China has decided to impose reciprocal sanctions on officials of the U.S. executive branch, members of Congress, non-governmental organizations and their immediate family members who “have behaved badly on issues related to Hong Kong and bear the main responsibility. At the same time, China decided to cancel visa-free access to Hong Kong and Macau for U.S. diplomatic passport holders on a temporary basis.
As of press time, no official list of sanctions has been provided by the Chinese Communist Party.
The 14 people sanctioned by the U.S. include CPC Politburo member Wang Chen, the remaining six are members of the CPC Central Committee: Cao Jianming, Zhang Chunxian, Shen Yueyue, Ji Bingxuan, Ai Liqin, Yiming Bahai, and Wang Dongming, and the other six are Wan Euxiang, Chen Zhu, Ding Zhongli, Hao Mingjin, Cai Dafeng, and Wu Weihua.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement explaining the sanctions on the grounds that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress unanimously passed the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” that the Communist Party uses to suppress any criticism and arrest people who dare to oppose the Communist Party’s repressive policies, and that “the U.S. Department of State therefore found 14 people directly responsible for passing this shameful law.
The “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” was passed quickly before July 1 of this year and has become a tool to suppress democratic forces and dissidents in Hong Kong. All 14 people sanctioned by the U.S. were present at the meeting.
Pompeo also warned that “the United States will also continue to work with our allies to make Beijing pay for its reneging on its commitments to Hong Kong and undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.
The 14 senior Chinese Communist Party officials announced by the U.S. for sanctions are also tied to the disqualification of four pro-democracy members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. The Hong Kong government announced in November that four members of Hong Kong’s pan-democratic Legislative Council, Yang Yueqiao, Kwok Wing-clang, Kwok Ka-ki and Leung Kit-cheong, were disqualified from office, which the government said was based on a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China, and declared that the decision would apply to all future elections or Legislative Council seats.
The U.S. sanctions mean that the sanctioned person and his or her immediate family are barred from entering the U.S., and any property or interests held directly or indirectly in the U.S. by the sanctioned person will be frozen and blocked and reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Unless specifically authorized, sanctioned persons are prohibited from trading with U.S. persons or within the United States, i.e., they cannot buy or sell any U.S.-related funds, goods, or services. Commercial and financial institutions, including banks, cannot conduct significant business transactions with them.
In response to the new round of U.S. sanctions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying stated that China will continue to take firm countermeasures.
On August 7, the U.S. sanctioned 11 Hong Kong and Chinese officials for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy under the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law,” including Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Secretary for Justice Eva Cheng, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Anthony Tang, and senior Beijing officials in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Deputy Director Zhang Xiaoming, and Liaison Office Director Luo Huining.
On November 9, the United States blacklisted another four Hong Kong officials, including Liu Chi-wai, Deputy Commissioner for National Security of the Hong Kong Police Force, and Li Guihua, Senior Superintendent of the National Security Division of the Police Force.
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