US Sanctions Top Hong Kong Officials Responsible for National Security Law

The U.S. on Aug. 7 sanctioned 11 top Hong Kong officials and police leaders for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. The designations, which came after Congress passed several bills targeting Beijing’s interference in Hong Kong (see 2007020046 and 1911290012), were the first sanctions imposed under President Donald Trump’s July executive order on Hong Kong normalization (see 2007150019).

The designations include Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who is “the chief executive directly responsible” for carrying out Beijing’s infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomy, the Treasury Department said Aug. 7. Other sanctions target Chris Tang, commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force; John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong’s security secretary; Teresa Chang, the justice secretary; and Erick Tsang, the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs. Treasury said each official helps to enforce Hong Kong’s so-called national security law.

The U.S. also sanctioned Xia Baolong and Zhang Xiaoming, director and deputy director, respectively, of the Hong Kong and Macao affairs office of the State Council. Both were designated for threatening the “peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.” The other sanctions include Luo Huining, director of the Hong Kong Liaison office; Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; Eric Chan, the secretary general of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; and Stephen Lo, the former commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force.

In an Aug. 7 statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. will treat Hong Kong as “one country, one system” as long as Beijing continues to interfere in Hong Kong’s autonomy. Treasury said the U.S. will continue to sanction “those that implement these nefarious policies.”

The sanctions were praised by U.S. lawmakers. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Aug. 7 that China “and its cronies in Hong Kong’s government will continue to face consequences for crushing Hong Kong’s freedoms.” Sen Ben Sasse, R-Neb., applauded the U.S’s designation of Lam. “Carrie Lam is Beijing’s hatchet woman. She worked with the Chinese Communist Party to kill Hong Kong’s autonomy and gut the rule of law,” Sasse said in a statement. “These cowards betrayed the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong and deserve to pay a steep price.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who helped introduce the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and has criticized the administration for not moving quickly enough to impose sanctions, welcomed the designations. “Despite the Administration’s initial opposition, glad to see they are now using the Hong Kong Autonomy Act to hold officials accountable for the brutal crackdown on those calling for democracy and freedom in #HongKong,” he said.