Latest news with #DongJingwei
Washington Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
China to retaliate with sanctions on US officials, NGO leaders over Hong Kong issues
HONG KONG — China will sanction United States officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have 'performed poorly' on Hong Kong issues, the foreign ministry announced. The U.S. in March sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts threatening to further erode the city's autonomy. The officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and former police commissioner Raymond Siu.
Al Arabiya
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US sanctions 6 officials over erosion of Hong Kong autonomy, China threatens to counter
The United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy, with China threatening to take countermeasures. The six officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and police commissioner Raymond Siu. The sanctions are expected to further escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing, who are already locked in friction over trade tariffs and other issues like Taiwan. 'Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a US citizen and four other US residents,' the US State Department said. The statement dated Monday said the six officials sanctioned were linked to entities or actions that engaged in coercing, arresting, detaining or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the city's security law, or implementing the law. The other three affected officials were Sonny Au, the secretary-general for the city's committee for safeguarding national security, and Dick Wong and Margaret Chiu, both assistant commissioners of the police. Since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to quell the 2019 massive anti-government protests, Hong Kong authorities have prosecuted many leading activists in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The crackdown has drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially because the city was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years during the 1997 handover. Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the law is necessary for the city's stability. Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, with bounties of $1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,536) for information leading to each of their arrests. The affected activists included former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also canceled the passports of some of the overseas-based activists under a new security law introduced to the city last year. The Hong Kong office of China's foreign ministry condemned the sanctions, saying they again exposed the ill-intention of the US to undermine the city's prosperity and contain China's development. It urged Washington to stop interfering in the city's affairs. 'China will surely take effective countermeasures against these despicable acts by the US!' it said in a statement. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China would take resolute countermeasures for any wrong actions by the US He argued the actions taken by Hong Kong police against 'anti-China elements' who fled abroad were carried out according to the law and that the US has no right to interfere with the city's national security cases. The Hong Kong government strongly condemned the US for the sanctions, saying it despises them and is not intimidated by them. 'It, once again, clearly exposed the US' barbarity under its hegemony, which is exactly the same as its recent tactics in bullying and coercing various countries and regions,' it said in a statement. It said the 'absconders' mentioned by the US government are wanted for arrest because they continued to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security overseas. It said the US has given cover for those 'who have committed these evil deeds,' and therefore it was necessary for the city to take lawful measures to combat the acts. 'The imposition of the so-called 'sanctions' in the guise of defending human rights and democracy indeed constitute a demonstration of shameless hypocrisy with double standards on the part of the US,' it said. Lam, the justice secretary, said the sanctions do not affect him. 'They do not affect my work; they do not affect my life.' He said the sanctions represented 'blatant tyrannical bullying intended to deter people from participating in safeguarding national security' in a statement. But Frances Hui, one of the overseas-based activists targeted by the authorities, wrote on X that it was a critical step in addressing the city's worsening crackdown. She said they hoped it marked the beginning of a sustained effort to hold perpetrators accountable. The latest US sanctions were not the first related to the city. During Donald Trump's first presidential term, his government also imposed sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy. In 2021, the US slapped more sanctions on officials over Beijing's crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city under former US President Joe Biden administration.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
U.S. Sanctions Chinese and Hong Kong Officials for Pursuing Activists Abroad
The U.S. fired a new round of sanctions at China on Monday, targeting six high-level Chinese and Hong Kong officials over what it described as acts of transnational repression for their crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and on U.S. soil. The move was the first significant step by the new Trump administration to pressure China over human rights in Hong Kong. The State Department said in a statement that the officials used the city's national security laws 'to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who had been forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents.' The sanctioned officials included Dong Jingwei, China's top national security official in the city since 2023. In his previous role as China's vice minister of state security, Mr. Dong led the country's efforts to track dissidents and catch foreign spies. Hong Kong's Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and Police Commissioner Raymond Siu were also among the six officials within national security bodies and the police force who were sanctioned for their roles in 'coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning' individuals under the national security law. In a national security crackdown since widespread unrest rocked the city in 2019, the Hong Kong authorities have jailed scores of opposition lawmakers, activists and others, including journalists, in the city. The state department also Monday released an annual report saying that the Hong Kong government had continued to use its broad national security laws to undermine human rights and civil liberties in Hong Kong, a criticism other Western countries have also made. It noted that, as recently as December, the Hong Kong government had offered bounties for information leading to the arrests of dissidents living overseas. Hong Kong activists in the United States welcomed the move. 'Many of us have endured relentless pressure and threats through transnational repression. It truly means a great deal to see the U.S. taking the lead in holding accountable the officials who orchestrated these actions,' Frances Hui, who was granted political asylum in the U.S., said in a statement on behalf of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation in Washington. Family members of overseas activists including Ms. Hui have been questioned in Hong Kong by its national security police. The Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement that its enforcement of these laws, which were first imposed in 2020 in the aftermath of months of monthslong mass pro-democracy protests the year before, were 'just and necessary' to return stability and prosperity to the Chinese territory. It also condemned the sanctions, calling it a 'gross interference in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong affairs.' The Hong Kong government described the sanctions as 'despicable behavior' and acts of intimidation that 'clearly exposed the U.S.'s barbarity.' The state department's sanctions place restrictions on property ownership and financial dealings of the individuals in the United States. The U.S. has already sanctioned dozens of other Chinese and Hong Kong senior officials, issuing travel bans and directives to freeze assets imposed in 2020 and 2021. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, long an outspoken critic of China's human rights record, said that Monday's actions demonstrated the Trump administration's commitment to hold to account those responsible for restricting freedoms of people in Hong Kong and pursuing those based overseas. Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, noted that while the sanctions were consistent with Mr. Rubio's stance toward China, President Trump himself has not publicly placed much emphasis on supporting human rights in the region. The Trump administration has drastically cut funds to organizations that have long given a voice to dissident communities in China and other countries, including Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. 'Trump himself doesn't have that much of an interest in what's happening in Tibet, in Xinjiang and in Hong Kong,' Mr. Lam said. 'But it's just another card to play in the longstanding systemic competition with China.'
Japan Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
U.S. sanctions six Chinese and Hong Kong officials for rights abuses
The U.S. on Monday sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials for "transnational repression" and further eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong, in the first major move by the Trump administration to punish China over its crackdown on the city. "Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents," the State Department said in a statement. In response, the U.S. is sanctioning six individuals who have "engaged in actions or policies that threaten to further erode the autonomy of Hong Kong in contravention of China's commitments, and in connection with acts of transnational repression," it said. Western countries have criticized Beijing for imposing the national security law on Hong Kong and using it to jail pro-democracy activists, as well as shutter liberal media outlets and civil society groups. Beijing says the law, which punishes acts like subversion and foreign collusion with up to life in prison, has brought stability after mass pro-democracy protests there in 2019. The sanctions announced on Monday put blocks on any property, funds or transactions within the U.S. for these individuals, including Dong Jingwei, a former senior official at China's main civilian intelligence agency who is now the director of China's Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. Dong was previously China's top spy catcher who had oversight of counter-intelligence. He was also vice minister of state security, a high-profile role which included hunting down foreign spies in China and nationals who colluded with foreign countries. Paul Lam, Hong Kong's top legal official as secretary for justice, who has driven prosecutions against scores of democratic activists, was also sanctioned. Security and police officials Sonny Au, Dick Wong, Margaret Chiu, Raymond Siu were also sanctioned for their role in "coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning of individuals" under the security laws. China's Foreign Commissioner's office in Hong Kong said in a statement the sanctions were "despicable" and were a sinister attempt to undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. The Hong Kong government strongly condemned the sanctions that it said "clearly exposed the U.S.' barbarity under its hegemony." Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers had pushed the Biden administration to sanction all six officials, as well as 43 others, including senior judges Esther Toh, Susana D'Almada Remedios, and Alex Lee, and senior prosecutors Maggie Yang and Anthony Chau who have been involved in national security cases. China's record on human rights, a contentious issue between the countries, has been a focus for Secretary of State Marco Rubio since he was a U.S. senator, and Hong Kong democracy activists have long seen him as a champion of their cause. The sanctions "demonstrate the Trump Administration's commitment to hold to account those responsible for depriving people in Hong Kong of protected rights and freedoms," the State Department said. Frances Hui with the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation in Washington who was granted U.S. political asylum, called the sanctions a "critical step in addressing the worsening crackdown in Hong Kong." "We hope it marks the beginning of a sustained and broader effort to hold perpetrators accountable — including not only top officials, but also the judges and prosecutors at all levels who have played key roles in silencing dissent," Hui said. Rubio said in a separate statement that he was also hitting some unidentified Chinese officials who implement travel restrictions in Tibet with visa sanctions over the inability for U.S. officials and journalists to travel to the region, noting that Chinese officials "enjoy broad access" in the U.S. "This lack of reciprocity is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Rubio said.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
US sanctions 6 Chinese and Hong Kong officials, drawing backlash from the city's government
The United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy, drawing condemnation from the territory's government Tuesday. The six officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and police commissioner Raymond Siu. The sanctions are expected to further escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing, who are already locked in friction over trade tariffs and other issues like Taiwan. 'Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents,' the U.S. State Department said. The statement dated Monday said the six officials sanctioned were linked to entities or actions that engaged in coercing, arresting, detaining or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the city's security law, or implementing the law. The other three affected officials were Sonny Au, the secretary-general for the city's committee for safeguarding national security, and Dick Wong and Margaret Chiu, both assistant commissioners of the police. Since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to quell the 2019 massive anti-government protests, Hong Kong authorities have prosecuted many leading activists in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The crackdown has drawn criticism from foreign governments. Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the law is necessary for the city's stability. Over the past two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, with bounties of $1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,536) for information leading to each of their arrests. The affected activists included former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. They also canceled the passports of some of the overseas-based activists under a new security law introduced to the city last year. The Hong Kong government strongly condemned the U.S. for the sanctions, saying it despises them and is not intimidated by them. 'It, once again, clearly exposed the U.S.' barbarity under its hegemony, which is exactly the same as its recent tactics in bullying and coercing various countries and regions,' it said in a statement. It said the 'absconders' mentioned by the U.S. government are wanted for arrest because they continued to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security overseas. It said the U.S. has given cover for those 'who have committed these evil deeds," and therefore it was necessary for the city to take lawful measures to combat the acts. 'The imposition of the so-called 'sanctions' in the guise of defending human rights and democracy indeed constitute a demonstration of shameless hypocrisy with double standards on the part of the U.S.,' it said. The latest U.S. sanctions were not the first related to the city. During Donald Trump's first presidential term, his government also imposed sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy. In 2021, the U.S. slapped more sanctions on officials over Beijing's crackdown on political freedoms in the semi-autonomous city under former U.S. President Joe Biden administration.
