US SANCTIONS PRO-CHINA HK LEADER, 10 OTHERS

The US on Friday (Saturday, August 8, 2020 in Manila) imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the pro-China leader of the government, accusing them of cooperating with Beijing’s effort to undermine autonomy and crackdown on freedom in the former British colony, Deb Riechmann and Matthew Lee reported for the Associated Press (AP.) 

The sanctions are the latest in a string of actions the Trump administration has taken targeting China as tensions between the two nations rise over trade, COVID-19 and other issues. President Donald Trump’s offensive against China comes as he assigns full blame to Beijing for the coronavirus outbreak in the US, deflecting criticism of his own handling of the pandemic that threatens his re-election. 

The Treasury Department announced sanctions on Carrie Lam, the leader of the government in Hong Kong, and 10 other officials. The sanctions were authorized by an executive order that Trump signed recently to levy penalties against China for its efforts to curtail anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has long enjoyed civil liberties not seen in mainland China because it is governed under a “one country, two systems” principle in place since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. 

Aside from Lam, those slapped with sanctions are: John Lee Ka-chiu, secretary for security in Hong Kong who has introduced a new police unit that will have intelligence gathering and investigative abilities, to enforce the new security law; Teresa Cheng, secretary of justice; Erick Tsang, secretary of constitutional and mainland affairs; Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao affairs office and and deputy director Zhang Xiaoming; Luo Huining, director of the Hong Kong liaison office; Zheng Yanxiong, director of a new office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, and; Eric Chan, secretary general of the committee for safeguarding national security.