China to sanction US Congress members and others who ‘acted egregiously’ on Hong Kong
Sanction decision announced by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday afternoon amid fierce trade war between China and the US
Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun described the US sanctions as a “severe interference in Hong Kong affairs, which are China’s internal affairs”. They were also a “grave violation of the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations”, he said.
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China “strongly condemns” the US decision and would sanction “Congress members, officials and heads of NGOs who acted egregiously on Hong Kong issues”, Guo said, without offering further details.
In a brief statement on Monday, a Hong Kong government spokesman said: “The [Hong Kong government] firmly rejects and despises the so-called US sanction against officers who safeguard our national security.
“We fully support the central government’s counter action against the US.”
Washington announced sanctions on national security and other high-ranking officials on March 31, saying those people were believed to have used the city’s national security laws “extraterritorially to intimidate, silence and harass 19 pro-democracy activists”.
The decision comes amid a tariff war between the two countries. Washington has imposed tariffs totalling 145 per cent on Chinese imports so far this year, bringing the effective tariff rate to about 156 per cent.