The State Department imposed the sanctions on 14 Chinese lawmakers over the clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong.
China has vowed it will hit back against U.S. sanctions of its lawmakers following Beijing’s clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said 14 vice chairs of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) would face asset freezes and travel bans, accusing Beijing of an «unrelenting assault against Hong Kong’s democratic processes.» In June, Beijing passed a security law that aims to stop and punish acts deemed as subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference. Critics fear it will suppress dissent in the semi-autonomous territory, where Beijing is continuing a crackdown on political dissidents. Pompeo said that the actions of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) «have effectively neutered the ability of the people of Hong Kong to choose their elected representatives in keeping with the Joint Declaration and Basic Law.» Among those targeted by the outgoing Trump administration were Wang Chen, NPC vice-chairman, and Cao Jianming, chief prosecutor of the government’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
