White House: Trump has not ruled out further sanctions on top Chinese officials

US President Donald Trump has not ruled out further sanctions on Chinese officials after signing an executive order to hold Beijing accountable for its handling of Hong Kong, a White House National Security Council spokesperson reportedly said on July 15. Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act and a related executive order to hold China and others accountable for their efforts to “stifle the freedom and safety” of the people of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Autonomy Act allows the US President to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and institutions involved in the imposition of the national security law. Trump has also signed an executive order, saying Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to China.

National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said that Trump hasn’t taken anything off the table with respect to further sanctions of party officials for actions in Hong Kong or on other issues, dismissing any contradicting claims from anonymous sources. According to media reports, no final decision on the names of Chinese officials have been made but Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam could be among the top officials to face sanctions.

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Sanctions over Xinjiang

Last week, the US State Department had announced sanctions on three senior Chinese officials and their families over gross human rights violations in Xinjiang region, banning their entry in the United States. The department said that America will not stand idle as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) carries out human rights abuses targeting ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. 

“The United States is taking action today against the horrific and systematic abuses in Xinjiang and calls on all nations who share our concerns about the CCP’s attacks on human rights and fundamental freedoms to join us in condemning this behaviour,” State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

China announced retaliatory sanctions against three Republican lawmakers and a US ambassador as the row over Uighurs treatment in Xinjiang continues. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing on July 13 that the “corresponding sanctions” have been imposed on Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Congressman Chris Smith, and the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Sam Brownback.

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(Image: AP)