ALLENTOWN – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following statement after China sanctioned him for supporting Hong Kong:
“From jailing newspaper publishers, to rigging elections, to dramatically expanding surveillance of Hongkongers, the recent actions of China’s communist leaders prove just how determined they are to stamp out democracy and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. Now China’s communist leaders are sanctioning American lawmakers who have the audacity to point out their egregious violations of longstanding commitments made to the people of Hong Kong in the Basic Law. My response to being sanctioned is simple: I stand with the people of Hong Kong.”
Last month, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law Senator Toomey and Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) bipartisan Hong Kong Autonomy Act. This bill, which was introduced in response to increasingly brazen interference of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, established mandatory sanctions on entities that violate China’s obligations to Hong Kong under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. The legislation also imposes mandatory secondary sanctions on banks that do business with the entities in violation of the Basic Law.
