China will enact retaliatory sanctions against members of US Congress, government officials, and heads of NGOs who have “acted egregiously” on Hong Kong-related issues, Beijing has announced.
“In response to the U.S.’s illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese officials in Hong Kong, China decided to impose sanction[s] on the U.S. [C]ongress members, government officials and heads of NGOs who acted egregiously on #HongKong-related issues,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun posted on X on Monday.
The US placed sanctions on six Hong Kong and Beijing officials last month for their involvement in what it called “transnational repression” and the implementation of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
The six officials included Secretary for Justice Paul Lam; then police commissioner Raymond Siu; and Dong Jingwei, a Beijing official appointed to oversee the city’s national security affairs. Both Hong Kong and Beijing slammed the latest US sanctions earlier this month.
At a press conference on Monday, Guo Jiakun called the US sanctions “unlawful, unilateral, and indiscriminate,” accusing Washington of interfering in Hong Kong’s and China’s internal affairs.
He also said the US sanctions had violated “principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations.”
Guo warned that any wrongful actions taken by the US would be met with “resolute retaliation.”
In its statement last month, the US State Department cited the extraterritorial application of the national security law to “intimidate, silence, and harass” 19 democracy advocates overseas, including those living in the United States.
Hong Kong has issued arrest warrants for 19 individuals currently residing overseas over national security allegations, including pro-democracy activist Joey Siu, a US citizen, as well as others who were granted political asylum in the country, with HK$1 million bounties on their heads.
In August 2020, after Beijing imposed the national security law, the US imposed sanctions on 11 officials in Hong Kong, including Chief Executive John Lee, who was then the city’s security chief.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
