Read more Caixin’s coverage of the China-US rivalry
What’s New: The Chinese foreign ministry announced Monday that it will impose sanctions on four U.S. NGO personnel over their “egregious interference” in Hong Kong affairs, in retaliation against Washington’s sanctions on four Chinese mainland and Hong Kong officials early this month.
The four individuals from the U.S. side include John Knaus, senior Asia director at the National Endowment for Democracy, Manpreet Anand, regional director for Asian-Pacific programs at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and two officials at the NDI’s Hong Kong office.
The background: The latest move marks the second round of tit-for-tat sanctions between Beijing and Washington. On Nov. 10, the U.S. Treasury and State Department sanctioned four mainland and Hong Kong officials including Deng Zhonghua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office; Edwina Lau, deputy commissioner of police in Hong Kong, and Li Jiangzhou and Li Kwai-wah, two officials at the newly established national security office in Hong Kong.
After the Chinese national legislature passed the Hong Kong National Security Law in late June, Washington initially sanctioned 11 individuals including Hong Kong chief Executive Carrie Lam, and Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet. In response, Beijing sanctioned 11 U.S. individuals including senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)
