China’s Foreign Ministry Promises ‘Stern and Forceful’ Response to Latest U.S. Sanctions

What’s new: The Chinese foreign ministry vowed the country would take “stern and forceful” countermeasures to the U.S. State Department’s travel bans and financial sanctions on 14 vice-chairpersons of China’s legislature over their role in Hong Kong’s national security law.

Hua Chunying (华春莹), a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said during a press conference on Tuesday that the sanctions “revealed the U.S. side’s dangerous intentions to interfere in Chinese domestic affairs, destabilize Hong Kong and obstruct China’s stability and development.”

Hua said that China “strongly urges the U.S. side to immediately withdraw the erroneous decision.”

China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Tuesday also issued a statement that condemned the sanctions as “purely double-standards” and “hysterical political bullying” (link in Chinese).

Why it matters: The vice-chairpersons of the National People’s Congress (NPC) are the highest-ranking officials sanctioned by the State Department over the national security law, which was passed and enacted by the NPC Standing Committee in late June. Washington had previously sanctioned ministerial-level mainland officials over Hong Kong.

It’s believed that the U.S may still take further actions against China before the Trump administration hands over to President-elect Joe Biden.

Previously, China and the U.S. have exchanged two rounds of sanctions over Hong Kong, with a total of 30 officials from Washington and Beijing now subject to sanctions.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)