Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam leaves at the end of a press conference at the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 31, 2020.
Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will impose a fresh round of sanctions on 11 individuals, including Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, as tensions between the United States and China accelerate.
The Department of Treasury designated Carrie Lam for her role in overseeing and “implementing Beijing’s policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes.” According to the Department, Lam pushed last year for an update to Hong Kong’s extradition arrangements to allow for extradition to the mainland, setting off a series of massive opposition demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Lam is designated for being involved in developing, adopting, or implementing the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law).
The Trump administration has been critical of Beijing’s recent decision to pass a sweeping national security law aimed at limiting Hong Kong’s autonomy and banning literature critical of the Chinese Communist Party.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has described the new law as an “Orwellian move” and an assault “on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong.”
The new security law is the latest issue to cloud relations between Washington and Beijing. The Trump administration has previously blamed China for the health crisis caused by the coronavirus as well as criticized Beijing for its illegal territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The world’s two largest economies are also struggling to mend trade relations, with intellectual property theft proving to be a major sticking point.
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