UNANIMOUSLY
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved automatic sanctions against China over Hong Kong
Their text will allow Washington to sanction any person who would specifically participate in violating Chinese obligations.
Protests in Hong Kong
Alastair Pike / AFP
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously approved a text envisioning automatic sanctions against Chinese officials who do not respect China’s international obligations toward Hong Kong autonomy.
As this text is somewhat different from the one that was also unanimously approved on June 25 in the Senate, it will be sent to the upper house again on Thursday for a vote. To take effect, it must be signed by President Donald Trump .
This bill is being promoted and supported by both Republicans and Democrats, in an effort to increase pressure on Beijing following measures passed by the U.S. government after China passed a national security law in the former British colony on Tuesday.
The version approved in the House of Representatives "contains minor technical changes compared to the text that Senator (Pat) Toomey and I submitted to the vote last week," Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen noted .
“Tomorrow we will ask the Senate for the new version to be approved immediately,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
Their text will allow Washington to sanction any natural and legal person who would specifically participate in violating Chinese obligations.
Its authors cite in particular the example of “Chinese Communist Party leaders responsible for imposing Hong Kong national security laws” and police units involved in the persecution of Hong Kong protesters. Penalties will also be applied to banks that would conduct "larger transactions" with sanctioned natural and legal persons.
Less than 24 hours after the entry into force of Hong Kong's Chinese national security law, police made their first arrests on Wednesday.
The opposition fears that the law, signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday , will restrict freedoms after Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
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