The United States on Monday sanctioned Hong Kong’s police chief, justice secretary, and other officials in response to China’s crackdown on rights and freedoms in the financial hub.
The sanctions target Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and Justice Secretary Paul Lam, among others, blocking any interests they hold in the US and generally prohibiting financial transactions with them under American law.
This move is one of the rare human rights-based actions by President Donald Trump's administration, which has often treated China as an adversary while maintaining alliances with authoritarian leaders.
“These sanctions reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to holding accountable those responsible for suppressing rights and freedoms in Hong Kong and committing transnational repression against US persons,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Hong Kong’s government condemned the sanctions, calling them an “attempt to intimidate” officials safeguarding national security. It defended its measures against pro-democracy figures abroad, stating, “The sanction list exposes US hegemony and barbarity, the same bullying tactics it uses against various countries and regions.”
China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong also denounced the sanctions as “unreasonable” and vowed “effective retaliation.”
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee is already under US sanctions, which align with a US law supporting Hong Kong democracy.
Visa Restrictions Over Tibet
The State Department also cited some officials’ involvement in intimidating, silencing, and harassing 19 pro-democracy activists who fled overseas, including one US citizen and four US residents.
Rubio announced additional visa restrictions on unnamed Chinese officials for denying access to US diplomats, journalists, and others in Tibet. He had previously imposed sanctions on Thai officials for deporting Uyghur minority members back to China.
China had promised Hong Kong autonomy under a separate system after Britain handed over the city in 1997. However, Beijing cracked down on dissent following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, imposing a sweeping national security law to suppress opposition.
