China Issues US Sanctions in Retaliation for Hong Kong-Related Designations

China’s Foreign Ministry imposed retaliatory sanctions against U.S. officials, lawmakers and entities for the State Department’s decision this month to designate Chinese and Hong Kong officials (see 2101150038). China sanctioned U.S. executive branch officials, members of Congress and nongovernmental organizations that “behaved egregiously” on Hong Kong-related issues, a ministry spokesperson said Jan. 18 during a regular agency press conference, according to a transcript it provided. She did not provide names. China urged the U.S. to “stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs.” The move follows Chinese announcements last year of similar retaliatory sanctions against U.S. officials (see 2012100022). The White House didn’t comment.