Washington intends to respond to the introduction of sanctions by the Chinese authorities against 11 American citizens, including lawmakers. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this on the air of Newsmax TV on Monday, August 10.
He noted that the United States will appreciate and respond to the restrictive measures introduced, and will also help the Chinese Communist Party understand that, according to the Secretary of State, there is no such thing as the President of the United States does not respond to actions against America or American citizens.
At the same time, Pompeo has not yet specified in what form this answer can be given. The head of the State Department noted that there is a wide range of measures that the US administration is considering in response to China’s allegedly unfriendly actions.
On August 7, the US Treasury announced the imposition of sanctions against the head of the Hong Kong administration, Carrie Lam, and 11 other people. As explained in the department, Washington is using tools and power to prosecute those who undermine the autonomy of Hong Kong.
In turn, on August 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Zhao said that Beijing had imposed mirror sanctions against 11 United States officials, according to the official website of the department.
On June 30, China’s national security law came into force. It identifies four types of crimes in Hong Kong that are considered a threat to statehood: separatist activities, attempts to undermine state power, terrorist activities, conspiracy with foreign states or forces in order to endanger national security.
On July 14, Trump signed a decree abolishing economic preferences for Hong Kong and imposed duties on the PRC due to the decision of the Chinese leadership to limit the region’s autonomy.