Hong Kong authorities have condemned new US sanctions
The government of this special administrative region of China has called such actions by the outgoing US administration “absurd, shameless and despicable”
Hong Kong authorities have strongly condemned the new sanctions imposed by Washington on six Hong Kong and PRC officials and called such actions by the outgoing US administration “absurd, shameless and despicable”. The government of the special administrative region of China said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“This latest attempt by the US to interfere in the internal affairs of the PRC and obstruct the actions taken by the Hong Kong authorities to ensure national security”, – the statement said. The National Security Act has clearly “struck a nerve with external forces”, the local administration said. – “We will fully support the central government in taking appropriate countermeasures”, – the document stressed.
On Friday, the US Treasury Department imposed restrictions on six more Chinese and Hong Kong officials. The decision comes in light of the recent mass detentions of opposition activists in this special administrative region of the PRC.
On 6 January, Hong Kong police conducted an operation to detain more than 50 anti-government activists and politicians. They are suspected of violating the National Security Law. The legal act was passed on 30 June last year and, Beijing claims, aims to prevent crimes such as separatism, terrorism, undermining state power and collusion with foreign forces.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that the detention of the activists in Hong Kong had been carried out in accordance with legal norms and had not infringed on the rights and freedoms of the residents of the Special Administrative Region.