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On Monday (December 7), the United States announced sanctions against 14 vice presidents of the National People’s Congress of China over the Hong Kong issue. China announced on Thursday (December 10) that it will take countermeasures and decided to implement reciprocity against U.S. executive officials, congressional staff, non-governmental organization personnel and their immediate family members who have performed poorly on Hong Kong-related matters and they are the main responsible. Sanctions. “At the same time, China has decided to cancel visa-free treatment for temporary visits to Hong Kong and Macau for holders of US diplomatic passports.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday that the United States has used Hong Kong-related affairs to seriously interfere in China’s internal affairs and damage China’s core interests. He urges the United States to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and refrain from taking wrong and dangerous paths. The farthest.
The United States has not yet responded.
The Sino-American Struggle Over Hong Kong Problems
The sanctions list announced by the United States on Monday includes 14 vice presidents of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress: Cai Dafeng, Cao Jianming, Chen Zhu, Bai Ma Chilin, Ding Zhongli, Hao Mingjin, Ai Ligen Yiming Bahai, Ji Bingxuan. , Shen Yueyue, Wan Exiang, Wang Chen, Wang Dongming, Wu Weihua, and Zhang Chunxian.
The Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress issued a resolution last month to increase the “patriotic” requirement for membership in Hong Kong’s legislative council. The Hong Kong government immediately announced the immediate removal of four pan-democratic members, and the opposition members resigned.
However, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of China and third ranked member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, is not in the new round of sanctions. Some analysts believe this shows that the United States does not intend to overheat the situation.
The United States announced two waves of sanctions against officials in Xinjiang last year and in July this year, and imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and several senior Hong Kong officials in August. In November, Washington imposed sanctions on four other Chinese and Hong Kong officials in Hong Kong-related security agencies.
China introduced countermeasures in August to sanction US senators Rubio, Cruz, Holly, Cotton, Toumi, Representative Smith, and the heads of many non-governmental organizations. The aforementioned members are all hardliners in the US Congress against China.
China has yet to announce the latest wave of sanctions lists. The biggest shock is that it can be more difficult for US diplomats to visit Hong Kong and Macau.
Are Chinese and US sanctions the same?
The analysis believes that the sanctions imposed by both parties are more symbolic than real. The sanctions mean that they and their families are prohibited from entering the corresponding country, and their local property will also be frozen.
Chen Quanguo, secretary of the Xinjiang Party Committee on the US sanctions list, said in an earlier interview that “he has no interest in going to the United States, nor does he have assets in the United States.”
Some commentators believe that the families of Chinese and Hong Kong officials are more likely to study and work in the United States than the families of American officials and politicians.
For example, the son of Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam originally studied for a PhD in the United States. It is speculated that his son was affected as a result. But Carrie Lam declined to comment, saying only that his family fully supported him.
One of the most powerful sanctions in the United States is making it difficult for sanctioned individuals to use banking services. For example, Carrie Lam publicly stated that she would pay in cash and keep cash at home. Hong Kong Police Commissioner Tang Bingqiang admitted in an earlier interview Banking services were partially suspended, but the impact was “minimal”.
Many officials subject to sanctions, including Carrie Lam and Chen Quanguo, said they felt “honorable” for the “unfair” sanctions imposed by the United States.