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Foreign Policy

Treasury Department Sanctions 11 Officials In China, Hong Kong

The Treasury Department said officials in China and Hong Kong undermined Hong Kong's autonomy and restricted citizens' freedoms.

Treasury Department Sanctions 11 Officials In China, Hong Kong
Vincent Yu / AP
By Katie Cammarata
SMS
August 7, 2020

The U.S. Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on officials in China and Hong Kong for undermining Hong Kong's "autonomy and restricting [citizens'] freedom of expression." Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam is among those sanctioned.

The sanctions are a response to China's national security law aimed at limiting secessionist activity in Hong Kong.

The Treasury Department said that law "not only undermined Hong Kong's autonomy" but also "infringed on the rights of people in Hong Kong ... setting the groundwork for censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China."

It said last year, Lam pushed to allow extraditions to mainland China, which set off a series of massive, and sometimes violent, protests. 

The individuals sanctioned won't be able to access some of their property and interests that are in the U.S.