China says it will sanction US Republican senators and NGO chiefs for ‘behaving badly over Hong Kong’
- Move follows Washington’s decision to target Hong Kong and mainland officials over city’s national security law
- Beijing says the sanctions will take place immediately but has not provided details of how they will work
China on Monday announced sanctions on a group of 11 Americans, including lawmakers and top executives of American NGOs, in retaliation for US sanctions on a group of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press conference that Beijing would impose sanctions on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, all of whom are Republicans.
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China sanctions Rubio, Cruz and other Americans in retaliation for US Hong Kong sanctions
Also targeted are the National Endowment for Democracy’s president Carl Gershman, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth, Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz, president of the National Democratic Institute Derek Mitchell and the president of the International Republican Institute Daniel Twining.
“China has decided to impose sanctions on some people that behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues,” Zhao said.
He said that the sanctions take effect on Monday without giving details of how they would be carried out.
China’s move came after the US Treasury announced last Friday that it would impose economic sanctions on 11 officials, including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, for being responsible for the city’s sweeping new national security law and undermining its freedoms.