Rising US-China Tensions... China Sanctions 11 Americans as Part of Retaliation

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] China recently announced sanctions on 11 Americans in retaliation for the U.S. sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials, escalating tensions between the two countries.

According to Bloomberg on the 10th (local time), Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing in Beijing that the sanctions target ▲Senator Marco Rubio ▲Senator Ted Cruz ▲Senator Pat Toomey ▲Republican Congressman Chris Smith ▲Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director Kenneth Roth ▲Freedom House President Michael Abramowitz, among others.

Earlier, on the 7th, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 11 Hong Kong and Chinese officials, including Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, citing the undermining of political freedoms in the former British colony. The sanctions were imposed for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and restricting the freedom of assembly and expression of Hong Kong citizens.

The sanctions targets include Chief Executive Lam, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, as well as mainland Chinese officials such as Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Deputy Director Zhang Xiaoming, and Luo Huining, Director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office. The assets of the sanctioned individuals within the U.S. are subject to control.

Regarding this, Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, stated, "We are fulfilling our honorable duty to safeguard national security. This is to protect the lives and interests of not only 7.5 million Hong Kong residents but also 1.4 billion Chinese people," and added, "We will not be intimidated," according to Hong Kong authorities.