The Senate has passed legislation sanctioning Chinese officials in response to the nation’s new Hong Kong “national security” law.
The U.S. law, which was approved by unanimous consent Thursday, was sponsored by Sens. Patrick Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland.
“It’s not only an effort to shield freedom-loving Hong Kongers from this continuing escalation of aggression by the Chinese communists, but the bill is a larger signal to China,” Toomey said on the Senate floor. “It’s a message that the United States and the free world are no longer willing to look past some of the worst behavior that’s been occurring. It’s a message that our patience has run out.”
The New York Times reports that the bill “would place mandatory penalties on the Chinese officials who imposed the security law, as well as police units that crack down on protesters and the banks that finance activities trying to undermine Hong Kong’s independence.”
The proposal passed without debate or formal vote and will now go on to the president’s desk for signing. The White House has not yet indicated whether the president will support the law.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the move “another important step toward ending China’s accelerating campaign of suppression, intimidation, and cruelty waged against the people of Hong Kong.”
China’s new law gives the country broad authority to target those that dissent from the government. Criminalizing acts such as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, the vagueness of the law leaves great potential for abuse. Already, many have been arrested in connection with the law, even a 15-year-old girl waving a Hong Kong independence flag.
