US sanctions 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials ahead of Blinken meeting with Beijing

US sanctions 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials ahead of Blinken meeting with Beijing

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The sanctions were introduced under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA), which was passed by the United States last year in response to Beijing’s imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong that prohibits secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.
Among those sanctioned are Wang Chen, a 25-person Politburo member, one of China’s top decision-making bodies, and Tam Yiu-chung, the only Hong Konger on the committee that drafted the national security law.
Many numbers on the list released by the State Department on Wednesday had already been banned by the Trump administration from traveling to the United States, along with their family members. Designation under the HKAA carries financial sanctions, which may include bank restrictions, loans from United States financial institutions, purchase of properties or dealings with entities in the United States.

Electoral law

In a statement, Blinken said the move was in response to Beijing’s new restrictions on democracy in Hong Kong, which will further restrict the right of people in the city to stand as a candidate.

Blinken said the new sanctions underscore “our deep concern at the decision of the National People’s Congress on March 11 to unilaterally undermine Hong Kong’s electoral system.”

Those sanctioned include several senior members of the NPC, China’s parliament and law enforcement officials in Hong Kong. Several of the top police commanders were also previously punished.

“This action further undermines the high degree of autonomy promised to the people in Hong Kong and denies the inhabitants of Hong Kong a voice in their own governance, a move that the United Kingdom has declared is a violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration,” he said. Blinken.

“A stable and prosperous Hong Kong that respects human rights, freedoms and political pluralism serves the interests of Hong Kong, mainland China and the international community at large. The United States is united with our allies and partners to defend rights and freedom of the people in Hong Kong, and we will respond when the PRC fails to fulfill its obligations, “he added.

Wednesday’s sanctions come at a time when the Hong Kong legislature must consider a new bill that establishes a test of “patriotism” for election candidates, which should limit the majority of members of the traditional opposition. Approval of the bill is guaranteed, as the legislature currently has no members of the opposition, as pro-democracy lawmakers resigned en masse in protest against the expulsion of several of their colleagues last year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attend Meeting 2 + 2 at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on March 16, 2021.
The Washington move comes after Blinken expressed concern during a meeting with his colleagues in Tokyo about China’s use of “coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undermine democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and in Tibet and enforce maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law. ”

In response to these comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday that exchanges between the US and Japan should help to increase mutual understanding and confidence between countries in the region and “not target or undermine the interests of third parties”.

The new sanctions could attract a much more forceful response from Beijing, which has been seeking an attempt at rapprochement with President Joe Biden’s government, albeit largely on China’s terms.

A big step towards improving relations would take place in Alaska on Thursday, when Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with China’s two top diplomats, Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi.

Beijing has not yet responded to the new sanctions, but there was immediate speculation among observers that this aggressive move by Washington before the meeting could result in its cancellation.

Last week, Zhao, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, urged the United States to “abandon the Cold War and the zero-sum mentality, respect China’s sovereignty, security and development interests” and “stop interfere in China’s internal affairs “, a language that is generally used to refer to Washington putting pressure on Beijing over Hong Kong.

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