Exclusive: U.S. preparing new sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong crackdown - sources

The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on at least a dozen Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong, according to three sources, including a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The move, which could come as soon as Monday, will target officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as President Donald Trump’s administration keeps up pressure on Beijing in his final weeks in office. President-elect Joe Biden takes over on January 20.

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Up to 14 people, including officials of China’s parliament, or National People’s Congress, and members of the CCP, would likely be targeted by measures such as asset freezes and financial sanctions, two sources said.

The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said multiple individuals would be sanctioned. A person familiar with the matter said the group would likely include officials from Hong Kong as well as the mainland. The sources did not provide names or positions of those being targeted for sanctions. Two sources cautioned an announcement could still be delayed until later in the week.

“China has always firmly opposed and strongly condemned U.S. interference in China’s domestic affairs through the Hong Kong issue,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing in Beijing on Monday, in response to a question on the Reuters report.

Stock markets in Asia gave up early gains on worries the move may signal a further deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies.