China announced sanctions on numerous U.S. congress members, government officials, and heads of non-governmental organizations in the latest escalation of tension between Washington and Beijing.
On Monday, China’s foreign ministry said the decision was due to the “egregious behaviour on Hong Kong-related issues,” per Reuters.
“Any wrong action taken by the U.S. side on the Hong Kong-related issue will be met with resolute and reciprocal counteraction by the Chinese side,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
The move comes after the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials in March, a move China condemned. The officials include Hong Kong’s security office director Dong Jingwei, Justice Secretary Paul Lam, and former police commissioner Raymond Siu. The U.S. alleged the individuals were involved in “transnational repression” and other actions that threatened the special administrative region’s autonomy, per AP.
Beijing has yet to specify which U.S. officials the new sanctions target.
In his statement, Guo also stressed that Hong Kong’s affairs are internal and not open to American interference. Any moves against Hong Kong perceived as wrong by the Chinese government will lead to countermeasures and retaliation, said Guo.
Last week, The Dallas Express reported that Hong Kong would not collect tariffs on behalf of the United States and would no longer deliver goods to the U.S. The pause, set to begin on April 27, was said to be in response to U.S. tariff policy.
In February, Chinese e-commerce company Temu began promoting so-called local goods in the U.S. market; items that have been shipped to American consumers via a U.S. warehouse, even if they initially originated overseas. The pivot was a response to the announcement that the ‘de minimis’ exemption would be scrapped, a policy that excluded imported items valued at $800 or less from being subject to tariffs.