Amid the rising tensions between the United States and China, Beijing has sanctioned 11 Americans over the US government's decisions against Hong Kong. The move is the latest in the ongoing political war between the two superpowers.
China vs. the United States
Beijing announced it would be imposing sanctions on 11 United States citizens. The list includes Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who have previously been targeted by the Chinese government.
The move is meant as retaliation against Washington's previous decision to punish officials from Hong Kong and mainland China over alleged human rights violations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the announcement is the latest development of the political argument between the two nations that involved closing the Chinese Consulate in Houston and China shutting down the American Consulate in Chengdu as a response.
United States President Donald Trump had also continued to put pressure on Beijing, including conducting military exercises within the South China Sea and moving to ban China-owned companies TikTok and WeChat.
The Foreign Ministry of China was the one who revealed the sanctions but did not offer precise details on what they would include. Experts believe the move is symbolic and was created to incite doubt and fear as Beijing has previously attacked most of the targets.
During a Monday daily press briefing, Zhao Lijian, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China imposed the sanctions on the US officials in response to the United States government's fraudulent actions.
Previously, Beijing had already announced it would be imposing sanctions on Cruz and Rubio and several other US officials after Trump's administration sanctioned Chinese officials for alleged human rights violations against Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region of China.
The US government later blacklisted the paramilitary organization Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps that operates large-scale farms and several other businesses in the region. Government officials have previously sanctioned 11 Chinese officials, including their allies in Hong Kong.
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High profile figures
Some of the officials that the US sanctioned included director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Xia Baolong of China's State Council and Commissioner Chris Tang of the Hong Kong Police Force. Critics have expressed their disagreement with the force for tactics it used against pro-democracy demonstrators, as reported by the Time.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam was also among those that the US sanctioned after officials accused her of being responsible for implementing the policies meant to suppress freedom and democratic process in Hong Kong that Beijing ordered.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States government supports Hong Kong and its people in fighting against human rights violations and will continue to oppose individuals or authorities that attempt to undermine the city's political freedom and autonomy.
Last month, China's national legislature's standing committee passed the new security law that bypassed the Hong Kong's Legislative Council and its citizens which have continuously opposed similar legislation from similar laws for several years.
According to ABC News, the new security law came as Beijing's response to the continuous anti-government protests that have rocked the city last year. The Chinese government previously alleged that foreign entities stirred the demonstrations in an attempt to overrule Beijing's control over Hong Kong.
