China summons US diplomat over sanctions, vows retaliation

BEIJING – China summoned the acting top US diplomat in Beijing on Tuesday to protest against US sanctions on Chinese officials on Hong Kong, vowing “reciprocal” retaliation.

The United States on Monday imposed financial sanctions and a travel ban on 14 Chinese officials for their role in adopting a national security law to disqualify Hong Kong and Beijing last month from opposition lawmakers elected in Hong Kong.

This is probably the first time that the 14 vice presidents of China’s legislative body, the National People’s Congress, have been subjected to US sanctions.

The sanctions came just after China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, urged the United States to maintain dialogue at all levels and encourage exchanges between lawmakers and other groups of people.

China criticized the sanctions. His Foreign Ministry said on its website on Tuesday that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang had summoned the acting representative at the US embassy to express “a solemn protest and strong condemnation.”

In a statement on its website, the U.S. embassy said its Charge d’Affaires Robert Forden told Zheng that Beijing has repeatedly used the law to suppress freedom of speech and assembly in Hong Kong and to arrest the Hong Kong residents who have peacefully expressed concerns about Beijing’s oppressive policies.

Zheng threatened “reciprocal” retaliation from China.

“The barbaric actions of the United States will only invoke the intense anger of the Chinese people against the anti-China forces in the United States and will cause 1.4 billion Chinese, including our compatriots in Hong Kong, to fully recognize the devious intentions of the United States and strengthen the determination of the Chinese Government in the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, ”he said.

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