WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has not ruled out additional sanctions on top Chinese officials as a result of actions he took on Tuesday to punish China for its handling of Hong Kong, a spokesman for the National Security Council said on Wednesday. White House.
FILE PHOTO: United States President Donald Trump talks about efforts to capture MS-13 leaders during a briefing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, USA, 15 de July 2020. REUTERS / Carlos Barria
The Hong Kong Autonomy Law, which Trump signed on Tuesday, allows him to impose visa sanctions and restrictions on Chinese officials and financial institutions involved in the imposition of China’s new national security law in Hong Kong.
Bloomberg News reported that Trump had ruled out additional sanctions on top Chinese officials for now to prevent escalating tensions with Beijing.
National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said Trump last week issued sanctions against Chinese Communist Party officials for their treatment of minority Uighur Muslims.
“It has in no way taken anything off the table regarding additional sanctions by party officials for actions in Hong Kong or on other matters. Any other suggestion from anonymous sources is totally wrong, ”said Ullyot.
White House discussions are ongoing about possible targets for the sanctions and no final decisions have been made, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Among the names promoted by some Chinese hawks is Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who has supported the implementation of the Beijing security law, the source said.
The New York Times later reported Wednesday that the Trump administration was considering a radical ban on travel to the United States by members of the Chinese Communist Party, citing people familiar with the proposal.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the legislation Trump signed and an executive order ending Hong Kong’s special status under US law are justified.
“Secretary General Xi Jinping made the decision to violate the Chinese Communist Party’s promises to Hong Kong that were made in a registered UN treaty. He didn’t have to do that and he made that decision, “Pompeo told reporters.” We have to deal with China as it is, not as we want it to be. ”
Reports by Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick; additional reports by Patricia Zengerle; Chris Reese, Alistair Bell and Leslie Adler edition
.
