White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany did not specify what measures may be in question
The United States authorities will soon announce new sanctions against China. White House spokesman Kayleigh McEnany confirmed this at a press briefing Wednesday.
“You will hear about some upcoming actions concerning China. I can confirm this”, – she said. Kayleigh McEnany did not specify what measures could be discussed and did not answer the question of how tough the planned sanctions would be.
Earlier, U.S. National Security Assistant to the President Robert O’Brien said that the U.S. authorities could introduce a significant number of new measures against China in the coming days and weeks. He stressed that they would deal with the withdrawal of Hong Kong’s special status in relations with Washington. In addition, he said, the U.S. authorities are considering introducing measures against the Chinese application TikTok and social network WeChat. According to O’Brien, they are used “to obtain personal data of Americans, which are then sent to Beijing, where they can be used for hostile purposes.
On June 30, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (Parliament) passed a law on ensuring national security in Hong Kong. It aims to combat threats of terrorism, separatism, undermining State power and collusion with foreign forces. The legal act provides for life imprisonment as the maximum penalty and the establishment of security organs in Hong Kong with a wide range of powers and the ability to investigate and try individual cases in mainland China. The White House had previously perceived China’s initiative as a violation of Hong Kong’s autonomous status and promised to respond with sanctions.