On the eve of the summit which is to bring together US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior Chinese diplomats in Alaska, Washington obviously wanted to send Beijing a clear message of firmness. And decided to pin 24 Chinese officials as part of the sanctions linked to the recent takeover of Hong Kong by the Chinese central power.
They also come at a key moment in the calendar of the former British colony. While the Chinese Parliament has just endorsed electoral reform in Hong Kong, it is indeed this week that city officials must consider a text that would impose a real “test of patriotism” on those running for office. elected or senior official. A text which should be adopted without problem.
Several Hong Kong officials targeted
From now on, no less than 34 officials, from mainland China but also from Hong Kong, are in Washington’s sights. It’s about, explains the US Secretary of State in a press release , senior officials whose actions have limited Hong Kong’s autonomy.
The new sanctions announced by Washington were taken within the framework of the HKAA (Hong Kong Autonomy Act), and result above all in financial sanctions aimed at limiting the leeway of those targeted internationally.
Among the people sanctioned There are 14 vice-chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), as well as Hong Kong administration and police officials. Particularly singled out are Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s only permanent delegate to the NPC, as well as Wang Chen, who is largely responsible for the national security law imposed by Beijing.
Beijing has not yet officially reacted to these new sanctions. But they risk robbing the Chinese authorities, who could be tempted to cancel Thursday’s meeting in which the head of American diplomacy and the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, must meet with the two most senior Chinese diplomats, Wang Yi and Yang Jiechi.