HONG KONG -- Washington has sanctioned 24 officials in China and Hong Kong for their "assault on democracy" by supporting an overhaul to the city's electoral system, on the eve of a high-profile meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top Chinese diplomats in Alaska.
Financial sanctions will be imposed on officials deemed responsible for Beijing's ongoing crackdown on the former British colony, including Wang Chen, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's 25-person Politburo, as well as Tam Yiu-chung, the sole Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body.