The United States imposed sanctions on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other officials Friday for curtailing freedoms in the China-ruled semiautonomous territory, as Washington increases its pressure on Beijing over a wide array of economic, security and human rights issues.
The sanctions target a total of 11 individuals, including the Hong Kong police commissioner, secretary for justice and mainland China's top official in Hong Kong, in connection with the implementation of a national security law to crack down on what Beijing views as subversive activity in Hong Kong.
"The 11 individuals designated today have implemented policies directly aimed at curbing freedom of expression and assembly, and democratic processes, and are subsequently responsible for the degradation of Hong Kong's autonomy," the Treasury Department said in a press release. The individuals face asset freezes.
Hong Kong has become a source of tension in U.S.-China relations particularly after Beijing pushed ahead to enact the national security law in the territory in late June.
The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has seen the move as a betrayal of China's promise to allow Hong Kong, under its "one country, two systems" policy, to enjoy a high degree of autonomy for 50 years after the former British colony's return to Chinese rule in 1997.
In its press release, the Treasury Department said that the "draconian" law has allowed mainland China's security services to operate with impunity in the region and set the groundwork for "censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China."
It condemned Lam for not only being involved in implementing the law, but also as "the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes," including pushing for an update to Hong Kong's extradition arrangements last year to allow suspects in the territory to be sent to the mainland for prosecution.
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The move set off a series of massive opposition demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Most recently, Lam has stirred concern over Hong Kong's democratic processes by announcing that the September legislative election will be postponed for a year due to health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Lam has yet to comment on the sanctions against her, but she previously said such a move would be "ludicrous and dismissible" as she has no assets in the United States and does not wish to go there.
Among others who were sanctioned, Chris Tang, commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force, was criticized by the Treasury Department for "enthusiastically" supporting the national security law and for his role in bringing about the arrests of hundreds of protesters.
Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said on his Facebook account that the U.S. decision is clearly a reaction to Beijing's series of "reckless crackdowns."
"When Beijing scraps its promise of the city's autonomy and liberty...it is foreseeable that other countries will review their policies on Hong Kong," he said, while calling on the Hong Kong and Chinese governments to engage in reforming the political system rather than reacting in ways that escalate tensions.
"All Hong Kongers want is for Beijing to allow us to have free elections, stop the mass arrest and the crackdown on Hong Kong," he said.
Wong was among the 12 pro-democracy candidates disqualified to stand in the legislative election originally set for September.
The sanctions imposed on Friday were based on an executive order Trump signed last month. He declared in the order a "national emergency" with respect to the situation in Hong Kong and an end to the special economic treatment extended under U.S. law to the territory.
With the U.S. presidential election looming in November, pundits say a hardline stance against China is perceived as a positive among voters in the United States amid the increasing rivalry between the world's two largest economies.
This week, the Trump administration has been turning up the heat on Chinese mobile apps amid fears they can capture vast amounts of user information which could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.
The administration has also toughened its response to China's maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, its alleged abusive treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western Xinjiang region as well as its espionage activities.
