The U.S. imposed new sanctions on China on Monday, targeting six high-ranking officials from China and Hong Kong for their involvement in what the U.S. described as transnational repression against pro-democracy activists. This action marks a significant step by the new Trump administration to pressure China regarding human rights violations in Hong Kong.
The State Department stated that the sanctioned officials utilized Hong Kong's national security laws to "intimidate, silence, and harass" 19 pro-democracy activists who had fled overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four U.S. residents.
Among those sanctioned is Dong Jingwei, China's chief national security official in Hong Kong since 2023. Previously, as vice minister of state security, Dong led efforts to monitor dissidents and apprehend foreign spies. Other sanctioned officials include Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and Police Commissioner Raymond Siu, who are implicated in coercive actions against individuals under the national security law.
Since the unrest in 2019, Hong Kong authorities have detained numerous opposition lawmakers, activists, and journalists under stringent national security measures. The State Department also released an annual report indicating that the Hong Kong government continued to misuse broad national security laws to undermine human rights and civil liberties, a sentiment echoed by other Western nations.
The report highlighted that, as recently as December, the Hong Kong government offered bounties for information leading to the arrest of dissidents residing overseas. Activists in the U.S. expressed support for the sanctions, with Frances Hui, a political asylum recipient, stating that the move is a vital step toward holding accountable those responsible for transnational repression.
The Chinese embassy in Washington condemned the sanctions, labeling them as a "gross interference" in China's internal matters and defending the enforcement of national security laws as necessary for stability in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government characterized the sanctions as "despicable behavior" and acts of intimidation.
These sanctions impose restrictions on property ownership and financial dealings of the individuals within the U.S. This follows previous sanctions on other Chinese and Hong Kong officials, including travel bans and asset freezes initiated in 2020 and 2021.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a long-time critic of China's human rights practices, emphasized that the recent actions reflect the administration's commitment to accountability for those infringing on freedoms in Hong Kong.
Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, noted that while the sanctions align with Rubio's views, President Trump has not shown significant interest in human rights issues in Hong Kong or elsewhere. He remarked that the administration has reduced funding to organizations that amplify dissident voices, suggesting that the sanctions may serve more as a strategic maneuver in the broader competition with China rather than a genuine focus on human rights.