Senate Passes Sanctions Bill Against Chinese Officials Over Hong Kong - The Wall Street Journal

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Protesters in Hong Kong marched on Wednesday, the first day of the implementation of a... — Protesters in Hong Kong marched on Wednesday, the first day of the implementation of a national-security law imposed by Beijing.
Photo: Alda Tsang/Zuma Press

Updated July 2, 2020 2:29 pm ET

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed by unanimous consent a bipartisan bill to impose sanctions on Chinese officials who threaten Hong Kong’s limited autonomy, as well as the banks and firms that do business with them, sending the legislation to the president’s desk.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.), passed the House on Wednesday, as thousands of protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong to object to a new law that gives Beijing stronger powers to police the former British colony and punish those accused of subversion and separatism. The law carries penalties of up to life imprisonment.

The legislation now heads to President Trump. The White House hasn’t responded to a request for comment over whether the president will support the bill.

Lawmakers said the legislation moved faster through Congress than expected because of the aggressive actions by Beijing in recent days. Wednesday’s protests in Hong Kong were the largest show of defiance in the city this year, with some people risking heavy prison terms to chant slogans of liberation and demand independence.

“The intensity of the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression appears to be growing by the day,” said Mr. Toomey, citing the arrests of Hong Kong protesters on Wednesday.

“I hope that President Trump will sign this immediately,” Mr. Van Hollen said. “As a country, Republicans and Democrats need to send a strong signal that we will not stand for the actions of Beijing undermining their own agreements, agreements under international law which they are bound to.”

Last year, Congress passed and Mr. Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which reaffirmed and amended a 1992 act requiring the State Department to certify annually that Hong Kong is independent enough from Beijing to retain favored trading status with the U.S.

In May, the State Department certified to Congress that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous, opening the way for Mr. Trump to take a range of possible measures, from revoking trade arrangements to imposing sanctions.