US Congress Passes Bill to Sanction China Over Hong Kong

By Staff, Agencies

The US Congress approved a bill rebuking China over its crackdown in Hong Kong amid protests against a strict national security law that outlaws subversive or terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the city’s affairs.

The legislation imposes sanctions on Chinese officials engaged in a crackdown on Hong Kong. It also penalizes banks doing business with Chinese officials who implement Beijing's new national security law on the semi-autonomous city.

The new law, critics say, effectively ends the “one country, two systems” framework under which Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

The US legislation would impose sanctions on groups that undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy, including police units that have cracked down on Hong Kong protesters, as well as Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for imposing the new security law.

The bill also imposes sanctions on banks that do business with entities found to violate the law.

The Senate gave final legislative approval to the measure on Thursday, a day after the House approved it. It now goes to the White House.