US SENATE OKs SANCTIONS BILL VS SINO EXECS OVER HK SECURITY LAW

The US Senate on Thursday, June 25, 2020, unanimously approved a bill that would lay out sanctions on Chinese officials who undermine Hong Kong's autonomy as Beijing pushes forward with a controversial security law, the Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.

The House of Representatives still needs to pass the bill, which would allow sanctions in the US against Chinese officials and the Hong Kong police as well as banks that do business with them, the Singapore-based Channel News Asia (CNA) added.

The vote comes as China presses forward with a security law that would enforce punishment over subversion and other perceived threats in Hong Kong, which saw massive protests last year in support of maintaining the financial hub's freedoms.

"They are moving forward in their process to take away the liberties of the people of Hong Kong. So time is of the essence," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who helped lead the charge on the bipartisan Bill. "Passing a Senate resolution as the consequence to their action is hardly going to be taken seriously in Beijing. And that's why it's important to actually do something that shows that the government of China will pay a price if it continues down this path to extinguish those freedoms of the people in Hong Kong."