US Sanctions Six Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong Autonomy Erosion

The United States has sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials for actions that undermine Hong Kong's autonomy. In one of the first actions of the Trump administration, these sanctions respond to China's use of national security laws to repress pro-democracy activists, impacting individuals connected to transnational repression.

The United States sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials on Monday, escalating tensions over autonomy and democracy in Hong Kong. This marks one of the first significant moves by the Trump administration to respond to China's controversial national security law.

According to the State Department, Beijing has leveraged Hong Kong's national security laws extraterritorially to target and silence 19 pro-democracy activists, including a U.S. citizen and residents. As a consequence, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on individuals directly involved in actions eroding Hong Kong's autonomy.

Among those sanctioned is Dong Jingwei, a former senior official at China's intelligence agency. His new role as director of Beijing's Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong places him at the forefront of efforts using transnational repression. U.S. lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, have supported Biden's 2024 move to target these officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)