WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has launched a major diplomatic and economic offensive against China, hitting Chinese officials with myriad sanctions…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has launched a major diplomatic and economic offensive against China, hitting Chinese officials with myriad sanctions over the past four months as relations between Washington and Beijing plummet to their lowest levels in decades. President Donald Trump and his top aides have railed against China for its response to the coronavirus pandemic that began there, looking to make political hay ahead of November’s election. But the administration’s hostility toward China predates the pandemic. Even while Trump played up his relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, calling him “a very, very good friend of mine,” his administration has been taking aim at China on multiple fronts since mid-2019. On Friday, the administration fired its latest shot, imposing sanctions against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and 10 others for their roles in subverting democracy in the former British territory that Beijing had promised would remain autonomous for 50 years after it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. A look at other recent actions the administration has taken against China:. HONG KONG Since China imposed its strict national security laws on Hong Kong, the U. S. has steadily ramped up penalties against both mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials, leading up to Friday’s action against Lam and other Chinese officials. In May, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo determined that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous and no longer deserved preferential treatment it had been accorded since 1997. The administration has since taken action to rescind special trade and commercial privileges Hong Kong enjoyed and has begun the process of suspending an extradition treaty. More actions, including the cancellation of certain taxation agreements and other perks benefiting both Hong Kong and U. S. businesses, are on the block. TECHNOLOGY On Thursday, Trump s igned two executive orders that will bar U. S. companies and people from certain transactions with the Chinese parent companies of the social media apps TikTok and WeChat, ByteDance and TenCent.
