March 17, 2021

Van Hollen and Toomey Statement on State Department’s Hong Kong Sanctions Report

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following joint statement on the State Department’s report that named 24 individuals sanctioned under Senator Van Hollen and Senator Toomey's Hong Kong Autonomy Act:

“We commend the Biden administration for using the authority under our Hong Kong Autonomy Act to hold accountable the CCP and Hong Kong officials working to eliminate Hong Kong’s autonomy. This is a necessary step to support the freedoms of the Hong Kong people by penalizing those who seek to undermine them.

“Beijing’s latest efforts to crush democratic dissent in Hong Kong make clear that we must continue to ramp up the pressure, including with further sanctions. The State Department’s action under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act yesterday has put foreign financial institutions on notice. Should these institutions maintain relationships with the 24 officials named in the report, they too must face strong financial penalties from the United States.”