The US government has pledged to support the pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong, and has imposed sanctions on seven Chinese government officials.
The US State Department announced Friday that the officials are deputy directors of the Chinese government´s liaison office in Hong Kong.
The sanctions are based on an executive order issued last year by then-US President Donald Trump, which provides for sanctions, among other things, on individuals who enforce China´s controversial security law in Hong Kong.
Any assets in the United States of those targeted by sanctions will be frozen.
Meanwhile, the US government has warned companies that doing business in Hong Kong is increasingly risky.
"Over the past year, officials of the People´s Republic of China and Hong Kong have systematically undermined Hong Kong´s democratic institutions, delaying elections, removing elected representatives from office and forcing officials to take an oath of allegiance to keep their jobs," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Friday.
He stated that, "Since the protests that began in 2019, the local authorities have arrested thousands for protesting against the government´s policies that they reject... Journalists have been arrested simply for doing their jobs."
