The Trump Administration announced it will impose sanctions on eleven Chinese and Hong Kong officials for their roles in cracking down on pro-democratic protests and further Chinese Communist Party holds on the enclave, the Washington Post reports.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the most visible leader of the territory, will be punished for implementing the Chinese national security laws and other measures designed to suppress protests in the city-state and allow the nation to target opponents with the previously autonomous region.
Others subject to the sanctions are law enforcement and security leaders. Authorized under an executive order signed by Trump last month, the sanctions allow the United States to freeze or seize any property these individuals have in the US, although it is unclear if any such property exists.
The sanctions will likely further escalate tensions between the US and China, which have increased due to the Trump Administration blaming the Chinese government for the spread of the coronavirus and failed trade negotiations.