US House moves to toughen sanctions over HK security law

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The U.S. House of Representatives agreed unanimously Wednesday to seek tough sanctions on Chinese officials and Hong Kong police after Beijing imposed a security law that clamps down on the city.

After a day in which Hong Kong authorities arrested hundreds of protesters, the House quickly passed the act that had already passed the Senate last week.

Due to technical changes, the Senate will need to vote again. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bipartisan bill, vowed that the chamber would vote Thursday.

“What’s so sad about it is that the Chinese regime just thinks that they can act with impunity and repressing the spirit of democracy,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the House passage.

“If we refuse to speak out on human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights any place in the world,” Washington’s top elected Democrat, long a vocal proponent of human rights in China, said in a rare appearance before a congressional hearing.

President Donald Trump has not said if he will sign the bill but one of his allies briefly held up the Senate version, seeking changes.

Trump publicly hesitated last year before signing another rights bill on Hong Kong which also lays out sanctions against Chinese officials for infringing on the city’s autonomy.

Unlike the previous act, the new legislation would make sanctions mandatory, limiting Trump’s ability to waive them. In a crucial pressure point, it would also slap sanctions on banks that conduct transactions with violators.

Biden blames ‘weak’ Trump

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, accused Trump of allowing China to impose its will on Hong Kong through a hesitant response.

“It’s no wonder Beijing is acting with impunity. Time and again, President

Trump has surrendered our values and reassured China’s autocrats they have a like-minded partner in the White House,” Biden said in a statement.

“Where Trump has been weak, I will be strong, clear and consistent in standing up for our values,” he said.

The Trump administration has taken a series of actions in response to China’s moves on Hong Kong, including restricting visas to an unspecified number of officials and blocking high-tech exports to the financial hub.

Critics say the actions were not enough and that Trump has prioritized a trade deal with President Xi Jinping.