China condemns US sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong crackdown

China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office condemned U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials over their role in a national security law for Hong Kong as “purely double standards”, reports said on Tuesday.

The office expressed “strong indignation and condemnation” at the U.S. State Department decision to sanction the 14 Vice-Chairpersons of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature.

The United States on Monday imposed financial sanctions and a travel ban on the officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification last month of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong.

A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry’s office of the commissioner to Hong Kong also condemned the U.S. move.

“This bullying by the United States once again reveals its evil intention to create chaos in Hong Kong and harm China’s sovereignty and security,” the spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.

Reuters