China yesterday slammed the US for imposing “barbarous” sanctions in response to Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong, capping a dramatic week of deteriorating relations between the world’s two biggest economies.
In the toughest US action on Hong Kong since China imposed national security legislation on the territory, Washington on Friday sanctioned a group of Chinese and Hong Kong officials — including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥).
The move came after US President Donald Trump’s administration forced Chinese Internet giants TikTok and WeChat to end all operations in the US.
Photo: Reuters
China yesterday criticized the sanctions as “barbarous and rude.”
“The ill intentions of US politicians to support people who are anti-China and messing up Hong Kong have been clearly revealed,” Beijing’s Hong Kong Liaison Office said in a statement.
The US Department of the Treasury announced that it was freezing the US assets of Lam and 10 other senior officials, including Hong Kong Liaison Office Director Luo Huining (駱惠寧).
Photo: EPA-EFE
It accused the sanctioned individuals of being “directly responsible for implementing Beijing’s policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes.”
The move criminalizes any US financial transactions with the sanctioned officials.
In a short statement, Luo said that he welcomed the blacklisting.
“I have done what I should do for the country and for Hong Kong,” he said. “I don’t have a dime’s worth in foreign assets.”
The Hong Kong government described the sanctions as “shameless and despicable.”
“We will fully support the central government to adopt countermeasures,” it said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the security legislation contravened promises made by China ahead of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover from Britain that the territory could keep key freedoms and autonomy for 50 years.
“Today’s actions send a clear message that the Hong Kong authorities’ actions are unacceptable,” Pompeo said in a statement.
As well as Luo and Lam, the sanctions target Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang (鄧炳強) and his predecessor Stephen Lo (盧偉聰), Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee (李家超) and Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng (鄭若驊). Xia Baolong (夏寶龍), director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing, was also named.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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