China Slaps Sanctions on Senators Cruz, Rubio & Other US Officials in Retaliation for Hong Kong Policy

By Staff, Agencies

Beijing will impose sanctions on several US officials, including Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington unveiled sanctions aimed at Chinese officials over Hong Kong.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the restrictions will be put into effect starting on Monday. The retaliatory measures follow US sanctions against 11 officials, who it accuses of suppressing Hong Kong political freedoms.

The sanctions, which included Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the city’s police chief, Chris Tang, were denounced by the Hong Kong government as “blatant and barbaric interference” in their internal affairs, adding that they wouldn’t be “intimidated” by such measures.

Washington has openly supported anti-Beijing protests in the semi-autonomous city, which began last year and often descended into vandalism and clashes with police.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington are on the rise. Last week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that in 45 days would prohibit Americans from doing business with Chinese-owned firms ByteDance and Tencent, which operate TikTok and WeChat.

The US claims the apps are used to spy on US citizens, a claim that China and TikTok denied.