A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has expressed approval for the State Department’s decision to sanction 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s continued crackdown on Hong Kong’s freedom. “The timing of the announcement sends a clear signal that the U.S. government remains serious about holding the Chinese government accountable,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who head the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), on March 17. The two lawmakers added, “We will continue to speak in defense of the Hong Kong people against the oppression of an authoritarian system.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the sanctions reflect Washington’s “deep concern” about Hong Kong’s autonomy, after China’s National People’s Congress approved a draft plan earlier this month to change Hong Kong’s electoral system. The planned changes to Hong Kong’s electoral law give a pro-Beijing committee power to appoint more of Hong Kong’s …
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