President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law a bill to impose sanctions on Chinese officials, businesses and banks that help China restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy, a move that is likely to worsen already-strained diplomatic ties and prompt retaliation from Beijing.
“This law gives my administration powerful new tools to hold responsible the individuals and the entities involved in extinguishing Hong Kong’s freedom,” Trump said in a Rose Garden appearance.
Signing the sanctions bill into law marks the Trump administration’s latest move to punish China for its new national security law that U.S. officials, lawmakers and legal experts say effectively ends the former British colony’s separate legal system. Continue reading.