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WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday (Oct. 14) renewed pressure on the Hong Kong leader, accusing her of undermining China’s autonomy, but failed to impose sanctions on banks under a strict new law.
The State Department issued its first report mandated to Congress under the Hong Kong Home Rule Act, a law passed by Congress aimed at making tighter restrictions on the financial center costly for Beijing.
The report “underscores our ongoing objection to Beijing’s actions that are intentionally designed to erode the freedoms of the Hong Kong people and impose the oppressive policies of the CCP,” the State Department said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the report, the Treasury Department added 10 people to its blacklist of “specially designated nationals” subject to sanctions, including Lam, Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing chief executive.
The move has limited practical effect as the United States had already imposed sanctions under separate authorities against Lam and the other nine in August, restricting any financial transactions with them based in the United States.
Hong Kong’s Home Rule Act goes a step further than previous US efforts by laying the groundwork for sanctions in the world’s largest economy against banks seen as complicit in the crackdown in the city.
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The release of the report had been eagerly watched in Hong Kong, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo openly criticized banking giant HSBC, accusing it of doing business with sanctioned individuals and “closing accounts for those seeking freedom.”
The pressure from the United States comes after China imposed a comprehensive new security law on the city, which was promised a separate system when Britain returned the territory to Beijing in 1997.
Lam has denounced the US sanctions, but acknowledged in August that they have caused him “a little inconvenience” by hindering his use of credit cards.
Other officials targeted by the sanctions include Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office representing Beijing in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang.
