China slaps US with sanctions on Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio & others in retaliation for Hong Kong policy

Beijing has announced retaliatory sanctions against the US which will target Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, among others. The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington unveiled sanctions over Hong Kong.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the restrictions on 11 US citizens will be put into effect starting on Monday. They include several officials as well as heads of political and human rights organizations. The retaliatory measures follow US sanctions against 11 officials, who it accuses of suppressing Hong Kong political freedoms.

The sanctions, which included Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the city’s police chief, Chris Tang, were denounced by the Hong Kong government as “blatant and barbaric interference” in their internal affairs, adding that they wouldn’t be “intimidated” by such measures.

Washington has openly supported anti-Beijing protests in the semi-autonomous city, which began last year and often descended into vandalism and clashes with police.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington are on the rise. Last week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that in 45 days would prohibit Americans from doing business with Chinese-owned firms ByteDance and Tencent, which operate TikTok and WeChat. Washington claims the apps are used to spy on US citizens, a claim that China stringently denies, while TikTok is reportedly preparing to file a lawsuit against the decision.