US sanctions 24 Hong Kong and Chinese officials ahead of Blinken meeting with Beijing

Washington has sanctioned 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing's ongoing crackdown on the city, ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with top Chinese diplomats in Alaska later this week. The sanctions were introduced under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA), which was passed by the United States last year in response to the imposition by Beijing of a new national security law in Hong Kong that bans secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces.

Among those sanctioned are Wang Chen, a member of the 25-person Politburo, one of China's top decision-making bodies, and Tam Yiu-chung, the only Hong Konger on the committee that drafted the national security law.

Many figures on the list released by the State Department Wednesday had previously been barred by the Trump administration from traveling to the US, along with their family members. Designation under the HKAA brings with it financial sanctions, which can include restrictions on banking, loans from US financial institutions, buying property or dealing with US entities.

Read more