WASHINGTON (US) – The United States plans to impose sanctions on four people over their alleged involvement in crushing dissent in Hong Kong, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The sources did not name the four people.
It would be the latest U.S. response to China’s actions in Hong Kong, including enactment of a new national security law this year that Washington has called an unacceptable breach of China’s “one country, two systems” commitments toward the former British colony.
The move, expected as early as Monday, would be the first sanctions imposed by Washington on China since Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump in last week’s US election. Trump so far has refused to concede defeat.
Last month, the US State Department warned international financial institutions doing business with individuals deemed responsible for China’s crackdown in Hong Kong that they could soon face tough sanctions.
Relations between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, have plunged to the lowest point in decades in the run-up to last week’s election. The two sides are at odds on a wide range of issues including China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its stance in Hong Kong.
In August, Washington put sanctions on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, the territory’s current and former police chiefs and other top officials for what Washington says is their role in curtailing freedoms in a crackdown on the territory’s pro-democracy movement.