Print this article Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attend a meeting in Tokyo, Japan, March 16, 2021.
(Kiyoshi Ota/Reuters)
The U.S. sanctioned 24 Chinese officials involved in the implementation of stringent security laws in Hong Kong on Wednesday, days before the first scheduled meeting between top Chinese and American diplomats.
The sanctions were implemented according to the Trump administration’s Hong Kong Autonomy Act, in response to China’s decision to rewrite Hong Kong election laws to favor Beijing loyalists and likely bar pro-democracy candidates from running.
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China Politburo member Wang Chen, who spearheaded the change to the election laws, is one of the officials sanctioned and the most senior Chinese leader targeted so far under the Autonomy Act.
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